A new leak showcases an incoming ability for Google Pixel phones to turn off the built-in search bar that has been a part of the Pixel Launcher for years.
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Google released Android 17 Beta 3 yesterday with a handful of interesting additions, but as is often the case, the coolest features are the ones typically hidden just below the surface — or, in this case, behind some secret flags. The company appears to be working on a new way for Pixel users to automatically fill their home screen with suggested apps, widgets, and more, and it could completely change how you layout your smartphone’s launcher.
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In December, Pixel Launcher search was replaced by the Google app. The Android 16 QPR3 March update compounds this design regression by removing the M3 Expressive search bar from the homescreen.
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Pixel At a Glance is getting its first new information types in quite some time today with Sports and Finance.
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Google appears to be adding a new “high-contrast” setting for the Pixel’s At a Glance widget, a long-standing request of many.
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After the 2022 removal and restoration for some users last year, Pixel Launcher search is once again letting you open apps using the keyboard.
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In the past few days, tapping the Pixel Launcher search bar opens a different screen powered by the Google app. This is not a bug and an intentional change.
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A curious bug today sees Google app device search replace the modern Pixel Launcher experience.
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Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3 should be the last major preview (excluding any upcoming .1 patches) before the stable launch in September, and Google is making tweaks to weather in At a Glance and the Pixel Launcher search field.
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The first Android Canary has a number of user-facing tweaks for the Pixel Launcher that let you remove the AI Mode shortcut, while bringing back the colorful At a Glance weather icons.
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Google’s new AI Mode is a built-in part of the Pixel Launcher’s search bar whether you like it or not, but the company appears to be building out a way to turn it off.
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Google has now rolled out the redesigned Pixel Launcher search bar (in the US) and new Gemini launch animation (for everyone) to Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 users.
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With Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2, the Pixel Launcher search bar is getting a redesign to match the Google app’s updated homescreen widget.
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Pixel owners are getting quick access to AI Mode via the Google Search bar that’s built into the Pixel Launcher.
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Google is rolling out a small redesign of how the Pixel Launcher displays web and local (app) search results to make things a bit more uniform. This applies to phones and tablets.
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A bug introduced with this month’s Android 14 QPR2 update breaks Pixel Launcher Search settings so that you cannot disable people/contact or Play Store results.
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Following changes in the EU due to the Digital Markets Act, Google is now rolling out a Pixel Launcher update in the region which lets users switch their search provider to something other than Google Search.
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In announcing that Assistant would lose 17 “underutilized” features, Google also said the Pixel Launcher microphone shortcut would be removed. Google is now rolling out this deprecation.
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Back in December, we spotted Pixel Launcher search surfacing Quick Settings Tiles. The first iteration of this feature is now widely rolling out.
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There are a handful of ways to launch Google Assistant on Android at this point. With the Pixel Launcher, you can tap the microphone icon in the search bar, but this is currently opening “voice search” instead of Assistant.
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Google’s elevation of its Password Manager continues with a Pixel Launcher search shortcut.
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In a notable expansion, Pixel Launcher search is getting the ability to surface Quick Settings (QS) Tiles.
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In Android 14 QPR2, it’s been revealed that Google is soon going to let users turn off the At a Glance widget on the Pixel Launcher, but in the latest beta, we’ve also found that you might also be able to relocate it.
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Google’s Pixel experience has long included the “At a Glance” widget that sits at the top of the primary homescreen. Soon, though, the Pixel Launcher will finally let you turn off At a Glance.
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