Google SMS Search Is Down … For The Count?

By Matt McGee

Published: January 8, 2009 at 1:22 pm

Search Engine Roundtable reports today that Google’s SMS Search service isn’t working: When you send a search term to 466453, Google quickly replies that your query “did not return any results.” Barry Schwartz used “Lakers” and “RustyBrick” as examples to show what’s happening:

The SER report says Google is looking into the problem, but the situation begs a bigger question: With so many users now switching to smartphones with more realistic browser experiences, how many people are still using SMS search? And, if the service is being used less frequently, is it possible SMS search is down for the count?

The answer to the last question is “probably not,” because there are still a lot of non-smartphone owners and Google needs to reach that audience. But, for how long?

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Editorial disclosure

Contributing authors are chosen for their expertise and work under the oversight of the editorial staff. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to mention Semrush; the opinions expressed are their own.

About the author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee joined Third Door Media as a writer/reporter/editor in September 2008. He served as Editor-In-Chief from January 2013 until his departure in July 2017. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee.