Dynamic Technology

Google Now back up after sign-in snag

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Were you unable to access Google Now this morning, following a sign-in error? It turns out that quite a few users with Android Jelly Bean devices were facing this problem since morning, They received a notification saying that they could not be signed in to the service because it could not communicate with the servers. A few of us at Tech2 with Android Jelly Bean phones too faced this error in the morning. Now, access seems to have been restored to most. Should you still face issues, it is recommended that you reboot your device.

Users confirmed that access to other Google services seemed to work fine, indicating that only Google Now users were inconvenienced.

Several users facing the glitch took to Twitter with updates on the situation. A tweet read, “PSA: It's Not Just You - Google Now Servers Are Currently Down - http://po.st/133ylI”, while other read, “Google Now Servers Apparently Down, Only Care if Running Jelly Bean”.

Google Now, the search feature, is card-based and users can bring up cards containing the data they require in real-time. It claims to give all relevant info in a single swipe. It can determine the best routes to reach your workplace quickly if your usual route is clogged. The tool can also list all local eateries in an instant when queried, and once inside a restaurant, the search function automatically lists the restaurant's best dishes. Sports lovers too can stay updated on their favourite teams in real-time with Google Now.

Last month, Gmail was down for some iOS and Android devices. A number of users complained of an IMAP error occuring when they tried to access Gmail through their devices. Users reportedly received an error message, "mail service imap.gmail.com is not responding" .

In July this year, access to Google Talk was cut for close to 5 hours after the popular service suffered a major outage. Google, on its part, kept updating users about the steps it was taking to resolve the situation. In a series of updates, starting from 4:10 PM to 8:55 PM, Google informed users that they were investigating the issue. In their its message Google stated, "The problem with Google Talk should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better. If you are still experiencing an issue, please contact us via the Google Help Center."