By surfacing in-app pages in Google searches on iOS devices, this makes information inside apps easily discoverable for users. While Google also talked up Android M - the latest update to its mobile operating system - and the new Android Pay payments platform, app indexing will have the more immediate impact on developers. 

?Google's announcement represents a huge step forward for apps that are already installed on Apple devices,? said Lei Sun, founder and CEO of Yozio. ?It's essentially freeing the information inside of apps so it is easily discoverable for users, an incredibly important function since people find products and content on Google through mobile web search.?

In other news last week, Apple reportedly acquired augmented reality company Metaio. Augmented reality is clearly on Apple?s radar this year, with the company having been assigned several patents in this area recently. 

Additionally, Twitter enhanced its targeting capabilities, an important move to bring its offerings on par with major platforms such as Facebook and Google. 

Also, Snapchat?s quick ascent is not slowing down, with the company recently raising $537 million through stock sales and revealing plans for an IPO. 

Here are the biggest platform developments from the past week for mobile marketers:

Google has been enabling users to discover relevant content from Android apps in Google search results for a while now. Last week, it started bringing this capability to iOS as well. As a result, Android and iOS users will be able to open mobile app content straight from Google Search. 

Indexed links from an initial group of apps will begin appearing on iOS in search results on the Google App and Chrome. 

For developers, this means they need add deep linking support to their iOS app. 

The strategy is Google?s attempt to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented mobile ecosystem. 

It means users will be able to access relevant content in apps for their searches as long as users already have an app installed. 

When Apple gets behind a technology, this often helps propel that technology into the mainstream, as was seen recently with near-field communications as a mobile payments mechanism, which had bee floundering until Apple Pay was introduced. 

There is growing evidence that Apple is interested in augmented reality, mostly recently signaled by reports that it has acquired Metaio, which has worked with brands such as McDonald?s, Audio and Lego. 

This year, Apple has also been piling up augmented reality related patents. One is for a flexible display that would let users see the images being projected through augmented reality as well as actual objects behind the screen. 

Earlier this year, Apple won a patent for a head-mounted digital device similar to Google Glass able to wirelessly interact with an iPhone and provide augmented reality functionality. 

Twitter last week introduced audience insights, a new tool that provides aggregate information about user demographics, interests, purchasing behavior and more to help advertisers better understand key audiences on the platform. Marketers can use the tool to gain insight into those who have engaged with its tweets as well as identify new audiences to target. 

The move reflects Twitter?s ongoing efforts to build out a comprehensive advertising platform and monetize its base of passionate users. 

Snapchat has been in the news a lot lately as it continues to sign up big brands and introduce new marketing capabilities. The platform?s success has caught the attention of investors, with unnamed buyers reportedly ponying up $537.6 million to purchase the company?s stock. 

The news followed the revelation by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel that the company is planning an initial public offering of its stock, a move that is hardly surprising given the momentum behind the company right now. 

Marketers can expect Snapchat to keep up the brisk pace of new offerings as it looks to become the go-to content platform for millennials. 

?[Google app indexing for iOS] will increase the flow of traffic to developers' apps and to keep app users engaged and happy?provide the same seamless experience from a mobile web search to in-app experience for users who do not already have the iOS app installed?developers need to prioritize mobile deep linking and robust install tracking that can pass user intent to the app,? Mr. Sun said. 

?In doing so, developers can accurately track app installs and pass the search information around the App Store so the user is brought to the intended app screen,? he said. ?Mobile developers will also need to think about implementing campaign tracking so they can understand how Google searches impact their app engagement metrics.?