Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

Summary: I hate Google Instant. If you do, too, then this post is for you (including if you need to know how to disable it).

Let me preface this diatribe by saying that I love Google. I mean, I LOVE Google! No search engine on the planet touches them, insofar as the advanced queries I run. I'm afraid that their advanced operators will be nixed one day and that scares me to death, since I'm a search junkie and all. Anyway, I love you, Google, but Instant is perhaps the most annoying thing, ever. Still. I've never liked Google Instant. From day-one, it's been a nuisance to me, primary due to the fact that my search habits often consist of queries COMPLETELY unrelated to what Google is trying to suggest. Being a person who looks at the screen 100% of the time I type, it's INCREDIBLY annoying to see the drop-down box pop up, disappear, pop up, make suggestions, disappear, pop up, disappear, popupsuggestdisappear, etc. as I type in a single query. I know, I know: "Why don't you disable it, then, Mr. "Search Ninja"?" I do! But, recently, I cleared my cookies, and -- since Google can't seem to make roaming search preferences for people who are logged into their Google accounts -- there was Google Instant, waiting for me the next time I visited Google. I was IMMEDIATELY aggravated, but I thought I'd give it a shot... NOPE! The last time I tried Google Instant was before they changed their UI, and now, it feels even more bothersome/invasive than before. I think Ben Bailey, of Cash Cab fame, sums it up perfectly in his Google Instant bit from his Road Rage comedy special:
So, I disabled Google Instant once again, and now, I'm happier than a hobo with a ham sandwich. If you, too, can't stand Google Instant and would like to disable it, then simply follow the simplistically-simple, simple steps below:
1 - Click here 2 - Look for the section pictured below, then select the option you see highlighted:
Sorry, Google. Again, I love you to death, but if you were my main squeeze, Instant would make me leave you... instantly. (Get it? Get it? *crickets chirping*) Anyway, thanks for at least giving me the option to do something about it even though you make it a default setting, and, PLEASE, for the love of all that is sacred, don't ever make it such that Instant can never be disabled. That is all. -Stephen Chapman
SEO Whistleblower
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Topic: Google

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16 comments
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  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    I agree, and I love Google too. Often times I'll run a search, go up to change/add a word, but then see a link that might be what I'm looking for. Too bad, I've already typed a letter, and it's gone a second later.
    Aerowind
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    Bing > Google
    mike2k
    • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

      @mike2k
      Ha. Ha. Ha.

      That is all.
      Nathan A Smith
      • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

        @Nathan A Smith

        You can laugh, but Bing is a more than good enough Google replacement, and it doesn't have that bloody Instant irritant. When I started using Bing soon after it replaced Live Search, half the time I went back to Google for a more precise result. I can't remember the last last time I needed to do that.
        jamespmcb
  • Long live Big Google

    The thing I don't like about it is the creepiness of Google remembering something I searched for months ago, and putting that near the top of the suggestions. It's as if Google were reminding me, "We watch everything you do and we remember it."
    Robert Hahn
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    I actually like Google Instant -- in many instances, the things I'm searching for are found as I type the search keywords, and I feel like a Ninja when I can react to Search Instant by tweaking the keywords, thus interacting with the results to further fine-tune the final result-set. Well Done, Google!

    I don't see what's not to like.
    marlinspike
    • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

      @marlinspike: It starts to load the results (which is really distracting) before it knows what I'm looking for because I've not finished typing it yet!
      bradavon
  • i had an email about jeans

    suddenly my google adverts were popping up about jeans in youtube when i wasnt even logged in to my account with cookies disabled.... = bye bye gmail... hello hotmail.
    danjames2012
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    Google instant sucks. I don't want (at work especially) it auto browsing to sites as I type search phrase. Who would?

    People complained loudly about Google Plus showing 'What's Hot' automatically in your stream - now you can disable it. So they do listen.
    wendellgee2
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    I DESPISE Google Instant Search with every breath in my body. I've NOT finishing typing yet! Stop trying to load a pointless and really distracting search page. Whenever I clear cookies, the next thing I do is re-disable Instant Search.<br><br>Thankfully it's disabled by default on mobiles.<br><br>p.s - Funny video and so true.
    bradavon
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    I actually use the feature....
    Sometimes.
    MoeFugger
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    Always hated it. I hate how it's on by default...
    Gnimrag
  • RE: Google Instant: More annoying now than ever before

    Your 'fix' DOESN'T WORK. You say it works, Google says 'your preferences have been saved', but you are both FULL of - well, I'll say Shinola, because it's apparently all the same to you.
    b33cux@...
  • This seems to work, try it out takes a minute

    I've tested this with Firefox, IE, Chrome and Safari, try it out see if it works for you:

    http://www.xuzo.com/blog/2012/05/07/how-to-turn-off-google-instant-and-auto-complete-in-1-minute-that-works/
    pataya6
  • i hate google now

    i hate google now, the instant search is too annoying. Never i hated google as much as now since this crappy instart search. Just imagine, you want to type something in search engine and started typing the word, but it starts searching with just one character ( the first character you typed). This happens everytime.

    Google says i need to change settings in options in login and save it. This means if you are nog logged in and trying to search this happens to you. And more over you cant clear the cookies, if you clear the cookies same thing will repeat. Never expected such crappy feature from G0000gle
    Krishna Ryali
  • i hate google now

    i hate google now, the instant search is too annoying. Never i hated google as much as now since this crappy instart search. Just imagine, you want to type something in search engine and started typing the word, but it starts searching with just one character ( the first character you typed). This happens everytime.

    Google says i need to change settings in options in login and save it. This means if you are nog logged in and trying to search this happens to you. And more over you cant clear the cookies, if you clear the cookies same thing will repeat. Never expected such crappy feature from G0000gle
    Krishna Ryali