Google is testing a new (possibly Assistant-related) UI for the search function in Inbox

The next big step Google is currently working on regards an active implementation of its smart, virtual assistant inside the Android operating system as well as many apps as possible; and while we’re not entirely sure that this is the case just yet, an Android Police tipster has provided some interesting Inbox screenshots that may show just that…

Inbox is already a pretty smart service by itself, which manages things like purchases and travels automatically, handles reminders and generally tries to make your email life a little easier with a good degree of success. Its search function, however, is still basic, showing you a simple drop-down menu with recent searches and nothing more.

What the Mountain View giant seems to be testing, however, is a definitely smarter implementation via a completely redesigned UI, which relies on visuals as well as smart bundling of certain sub-categories. “Contacts”, for instance, is likely there to make you immediately jump to conversations had with a specific person, while “Businesses” will probably show you companies whose services are relevant to you in that particular moment.

Amazon, for example, could be there when you have one or more packages shipping from their warehouses, while Fandango could group your tickets for upcoming movies — and so on. Indeed, this would only be an extension of what Inbox already does, but a prompting UI built right into the search function could nonetheless be of great help in moving through the mammoth sized inboxes most people have.

You can also see that among the horizontally-scrollable lists there’s “Refinements”, too, which as generic as it may sound could eventually come in handy were it to be tailored to your personal use — something we’d almost certainly expect to be the case. Given that this is not part of an updated version of the app, we’re led to believe that there’s a server-side switch, so as such there’s no way to tell when (and if) it will become more broadly available yet.