In a book called Mobile Design Pattern Gallery (2014), author Theresa Neil focuses on the value of autocompletion in enhancing basic searching on a mobile phone. Autocomplete functionality suggests search queries as a user enters search terms on their mobile device; when the search they want appears, they can simply tap it. The final touch in terms of usefulness: providing a mobile search engine progress indicator, such as a ticking clock or the word "Searching...".
Another popular mobile app pattern for maximizing small-screen real estate during a mobile search is faceted search, which lets the searcher narrow their results by applying filters, typically by selecting options provided in a "tray"-style overlay. Faceted search is often utilized by retailers in ecommerce (and the mobile equivalent, m-commerce) and by travel service providers, as well as in online search tools on media websites.
One relatively new application for searching on mobile devices is voice search. According to eMarketer, in 2019, 40% of all U.S. Internet users were using voice search, which has grown more popular, albeit slowly.