Google publicly disclosed its acquisition of the learning helper app Socratic in an announcement this week. They detailed the added support for the company's AI technology and its relaunch on iOS development company. The acquisition flew under the radar. According to one of the founder's LinkedIn update, that was in March 2018. Google, however, declined to comment when asked for specifics about the acquisition.

Socratic was founded in 2013 by Chris Pedregal, and Shreyans Bhansalito creates a community that made learning accessible to all students. Initially, the app offered a Quora-like Question and Answer platform. It was a place where students could ask questions that were answered by experts. By the time Socratic raised $6 million in Series A funding back in 2015, its community had grown to around 500,000 students. The company later evolved to focus less on connecting users and more on utility.

Connecting on more utility

The company later included a feature to take a photo of a homework question. The student would then get instant explanations through the mobile app launched in 2015. It was a similar means to many other apps in the space. Applications like Photomath, Mathway, DoYourMath, and others use the same technology. However, Socratic isn't just a math helper. The app can also tackle other subjects. It can solve questions in science, literature, social studies, and more.

Socratic announced In February 2018 that it would remove the app's social features. In the same year, June, the company also announced that it was closing its Q&A website to user contributions. This decision got arrived at with some backlash from disappointed users. Socratic explained that the app and website were different products. It said that it was strategically chosen to focus on the app.

Community Lead Becca McArthur at the time wrote that like anyone; the constraints of reality bound them. They noted that they couldn't do anything. It meant making decisions and tradeoffs where necessary, and this one was particularly painful. That strategy was to make Socratic a Google AI-powered product. According to Google's blog post penned by Bhansali and currently the engineering manager at Socratic, the updated iOS application development uses AI technology to help users.

The new version of the iOS app still allows you to snap a photo to get answers, or you can speak your question. Google also says it has built and trained algorithms that can analyze the student's problem, then identify the underlying concepts to point users to these resources. For students who need even more help, the app can break down the concepts into smaller, easy-to-understand lessons.

Inclusions in the App

Also, the app includes subject guides on more than a thousand higher education and high school topics. The subject guides get developed with help from educators. The study guides can help students prepare for tests or better learn a particular concept. Bhansali also wrote something in building educational resources for teachers and students. He said they had spent a lot of time talking to them about the challenges they face. They also spoke about how they could offer some help. He added that they had heard that students often get 'stuck' while studying. When they have questions in the classroom, a teacher can quickly clarify. However, it is frustrating for students who spend hours trying to find answers while studying on their own.

Where Socratic will help

The acquisition could help Google in other ways, too. In addition to its primary focus as a homework helper, the acquisition could aid Google Assistant technology across platforms, as the virtual assistant could learn to answer more complex questions that Google's Knowledge Graph didn't already include. The relaunched, AI-powered version of Socratic by Google arrived on Thursday on iOS, where it also discloses through the app update text Google now owns the app. The dedicated iOS developer will use the Android version of the app to launch this fall.

How to go about is

It all by taking a picture of the problem or asking a question via voice search. Socratic work is to identify and find resources. The resources are the underlying core concepts that will lead the students to answers to their questions. The app can source and provide materials like explainers or YouTube videos. Students don't have to struggle to understand textbook content or handouts. All they have to do is take a picture of the page and check out alternative explanations of the same concepts.

Google AI is getting leveraged with the dedicated algorithms that break down Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, and Literature problems, with Socratic also having the ability to simplify concepts into smaller, easier-to-understand lessons. The over one thousand subjects' guides offered in Socratic by Google are available for high school and college-level topics. They are ideal for both learning and studying. Additionally, they feature visual explanations. Most people have started to hire iOS App developers for the Socratic iOS app, which is relaunching as a Google product, with Android following this fall.

Final Thought

The useful redesigned app, as mentioned, is now available on the App Store, and will be made available for Android users on Google Play this fall. It lets students revise or study a particular topic. They go through critical points. The app also offers more in-depth resources on the web if the student wants to learn more. With help from teachers, Socratic brings you visual explanations of essential concepts in each subject. Get this app for your kids to help them in their education. You will see the positive impacts of your kids' performance.

The app provides excellent exposure to different types of learning materials for students to learn from, as well as teaches students to use multiple sources to conclude questions or scenarios. Most students who use technology for homework help are trying to learn. The Socratic iOS app helps simplify the sea of information that comes with an internet search. The app surfaces the most relevant learning resources for you, using text and speech recognition.