Does Google read text on my screen to improve near-future search results?

Question

I've noticed that when I am reading about something online, and I open a new tab to google something was I reading about, whatever I had in mind comes up almost immediately in the suggestions.

For example, I was looking up the soundtrack to a tv episode. I was interested in one of the songs, so I opened up YouTube and started to search it. All I typed in was the first letter, and the song name was already at the top of the search suggestions. And this is an old, obscure song.

The only conclusion I can draw is that Google reads the text of web pages you have open, and uses that information to improve any near-future searches. Am I right? If so, what is this feature called?

Answer 1

Google does an impressive collection of data via searches, analytics and the other stuff, because "data is the new petrol".

I think the feature you describe is based on their prediction engine for the auto-complete feature which is documented here https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/106230

Where search predictions come from Search terms you type. Relevant searches you’ve done in the past, if you’re signed in to your Google Account and have Web & App Activity turned on. What other people are searching for, including trending searches. Trending searches are popular topics in your area that change during the day and aren’t related to your search history. To get current trending searches, go to Google Trends.

There you will find that some data is collected from the user activity in order to provide personalized results.

As Al E already said, they read the text regardless of your interaction with the page, the real question is "how do they make the connection ?"

Well, via "Web & App Activity"

Your searches and browsing activity are saved in your Web & App Activity when it's turned on and you're signed in to your Google Account. This gives you better results and recommendations across Google's products.