Google app adds Pinned and App Shortcuts for Entertainment, Sports, and other sections

Abner Li | Sep 29 2017 - 8:51 am PT

Back in March, the Google app on Android added a row of shortcuts underneath the Search bar to quickly access various built-in tools and dedicated sections. Some Google sections can now be directly accessed through App and Pinned Shortcuts that can be placed on the homescreen.

In sections like “Eat & Drink” and “Entertainment,” some users are seeing a card near the top of the feed that asks whether they want to “Add an [x] shortcut to your Home screen.” While the latter shortcut opens that specific part of the app, the former — named “Dining” — just performs a “restaurants near me” search.

A shortcut for “Sports” can also be created, but users have to scroll down to the very bottom of the page for the card. If at any time you decide to get rid of a shortcut, the card will disappear, but scrolling down to the gutter of the feed should show a text link to re-add them to the homescreen.

These are essentially App Shortcuts and as such feature the Google app icon in the bottom right corner of the section’s icon. On 8.0 Oreo, these are actually Pinned Shortcuts and pop up a confirmation dialogue before being added to the homescreen.

Meanwhile, on Oreo and the Pixel Launcher, the shortcut for Google’s Weather app has been revamped to this new style and with a rounded icon.

These shortcuts are showing up on the latest stable version (7.11) of the Google app, as well as the current 7.12 beta.