Google sucks massive donkey balls

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

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This isn't the first time I've noticed the huge decline in the quality of Google results, but this is absolutely the most egregious example I've come across. I needed to look up what ISO culture codes iOS supports (because a client wants to add 'US Vietnamese' to their app, and I suspected it wasn't going to be supported) and Google was beyond useless. The first result is irrelevant, the AI slop is just wasting space and the other two links are equally as pointless. Only one of the links on the page was relevant to what I asked.

pNgB4SP.png


Could I have improved the search by adding 'ISO639' to it, yes, but in the past I've never had to. Google used to know from the context of the term what I was looking for.

I can't be the only one noticing this.
 
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Top tip: if you don’t want AI slop, swear in your search query. The AI won’t answer a question with swearing in it. If you search for “****ing culture codes supported by iOS” it won’t give you the AI garbage.
 
AI is destroying the internet as we knew it.
Whether it's Google's in-your-face AI slop, websites you read thinking they are from some insightful expert that turn out to be AI, Reddit posts from hobbyists that turn out to be AI, Instagram/Tiktok images and videos that slip through AI filters.

I wonder how many posts on this forum are copy-pastes from chatGPT

Whoever comes up with a method to ensure content is human-generated & interaction remains with real humans, without invading the participants privacy in the process, will be a zillionaire
 
Minusorange said:
Interesting how identical search terms can give different results
Click to expand...

It may be that after the first search and/or with repeated searches there is background optimisation/maintenance of the results so over time people may get better or just different results.

EDIT: Interestingly I don't get an AI Overview result when searching using those terms.
 
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I use ChatGPT for searches now, Google can get in the sea. It's so blatantly manipulated to make you buy stuff.

Also, Duckduckgo is quite good still.

EDIT: Just typed out your OP minus the screenshot and asked GPT to solve it:

ou're absolutely right to be frustrated—Google’s AI-driven snippets and search prioritization can sometimes bury straightforward, developer-relevant documentation beneath generic content. Your example of trying to find whether iOS supports “US Vietnamese” is a clear case where the search results still lean too heavily on broad, AI-generated summaries instead of direct references.
Let’s cut through the noise and get straight to the facts regarding ISO culture (i.e., locale) codes that iOS supports:

What Locale Codes Does iOS Support?​

1. Language Designators
  • iOS accepts both ISO 639-1 two-letter codes and ISO 639-2 three-letter codes when there's no ISO 639-1 equivalent.Apple Developer+1
  • For example, Hawaiian doesn’t have a two-letter code, so haw (the ISO 639-2 code) should be used.Apple DeveloperPhrase
2. Locale Identifiers (Language + Region)
  • You can combine a language code with a region code (from ISO 3166-1) using a hyphen (for language IDs) or underscore (for locale IDs).
3. Script Designators (When Relevant)
  • For languages with multiple scripts (like Chinese), you can specify script identifiers per ISO 15924.
4. Extending Beyond Apple’s Defaults
  • Though Apple may translate iOS into only certain languages, you can include any valid BCP 47 or ISO-based designator—even for languages or dialects they haven’t localized. These will work, especially on iOS 8 and later.ibabbleon.comApple Developer

Specific Scenario: “US Vietnamese”​

  • Vietnamese language code is vi (ISO 639-1), so at minimum that's fine.
  • To specify U.S. region, a locale ID like vi-US (language tag) or vi_US (locale ID) would be appropriate.
  • However, Vietnamese in the U.S. isn't officially translated by Apple—so Apple doesn’t provide a localized system interface in that dialect. Still, your app can support it if you include a vi-US.lproj (or vi_US.lproj) in your bundle. Users whose device settings include that locale should see your content.ibabbleon.com

TL;DR & Tips​

Lang/Locale TypeSupported Format
Language onlyISO 639-1 (e.g., vi), or ISO 639-2 if no 639-1 exists
Locale (language + region)language-REGION or language_REGION (e.g., vi-US or vi_US)
Script-specific (if needed)language-script_REGION (e.g., zh-Hans_HK)




If you want an answer minus all the black blocks, CLICK HERE.
 
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I'm quite a Google fan but the AI summary/search is garbage.

I'd say more and more of my searches are being tagged with "reddit" or something to get past that AI summary.

I'm it sure Google will retain its crown in the search world way things are going. Poor results and more alternatives
 
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just adding -ai gets rid of googles AI hallucinations

eg. Locale Codes ios -ai

it's more annoying how if you are not logged in with one of your throwaway email accounts when you search,
google seems to literally quickly redraw the screen you would get if you are logged in, with even more advertising guff at the start that you have to scroll past.
 
What’s the story on this emergency Chrome security update?

GB News is currently scaring the lumpy & smelly out of their viewers at the moment with “Upgrade now or hackers will steal your interwebs!” stories.
 
413x said:
I'd say more and more of my searches are being tagged with "reddit" or something to get past that AI summary.
Click to expand...
Have been in the same boat myself for a while, search for something and get a nonsense result, then search with "reddit" to try and get some semblance of help with the query
 
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