Edit in JSFiddle

var app = angular.module('app', []);

app.controller('myController', function($scope) {
    $scope.friends =  [
      {
        "id": 0,
        "name": "Carroll Barr"
      },
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "Carl Leni"
      },
      {
        "id": 2,
        "name": "Bell Travis"
      },
      {
        "id": 2,
        "name": "Yuyu Xia"
      }
    ];
    
    //Example access to friendsAfterFilter, you dont really need this
    $scope.$watchCollection("friendsAfterFilter", function(newVal){
        console.log("Hey, the filtered collection has changed!");
    });
});

<div ng-app="app" ng-controller="myController">    
    Filter here: <input type="text" ng-model="search">
    <ul>
      <li ng-repeat="friend in friendsAfterFilter = (friends | filter:search)">
        {{ friend.name }}
      </li>
    </ul>
        
        <div>
            Number of filtered friends: {{friendsAfterFilter.length}}
        </div>
</div>