Google’s voice search is getting smarter, and its iOS update means that the app can now understand natural speech – as opposed to simply using voice recognition – and considers more of the context of what is being asked, which means users can ask questions and get a spoken response.

The results are delivered by Google’s ever-growing Knowledge Graph, which connects and draws together relevant information from across the search engine. This brings it in line with that functionality of Google Now, which is available on Android 4.1 (Jellybean).

Having tested the app to see if it can answer direct questions, as Google’s blog on the news suggests, the creases still haven’t been fully ironed out yet… But it does endeavour to understand the sentence as its being spoken and serves up good looking, relevant search results.

It isn’t quite the same offering as Siri, pitched as a self-learning digital helper that not only understands us better, but will be able do an increasing number of things for us – like setting diary reminders. And on iOS, it’s the difference between one- and two-tap activation.

As artificial intelligence becomes more intelligent, voice search seems increasingly more attractive than thumbing your way around your touchscreen keyboard. Its easy to look at voice as the future of search – until you test it out in a busy office and discover everyone around you, answering your questions before the app can process them, is a Siri wannabe.