Google Play Movies & TV for Android tweaks search bar

Abner Li | May 20 2020 - 11:58 am PT

There was talk last week of a possible redesign of Play Movies for Android TV. Until then, Google has rolled out a slight redesign of the search bar in Play Movies & TV on Android.

Like other Google Material Themes, Play Movies & TV now has a full-width search field at the top of the app with an accompanying prompt. This larger tap target replaces the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner, while the account switcher is now merged. It features the convenient ability to swipe up/down to move between profiles.

There is still a navigation drawer (and hamburger icon) at the left for Settings, Manage services, and Help & feedback, with each section now accompanied by icons. It’s odd that Google didn’t just integrate those three options into the account menu. The service’s logo is also at the top of this panel, and it briefly appears in the search box on initial load.

This tweak to search in Play Movies & TV is the only change in version 4.19, and helps emphasize the app’s underrated lookup capability that doubles as a directory to what streaming service a piece of content is available on. It’s rolling out now via the Play Store.