Mishal Rahman/Android Authority
TL;DR
- One Android Authority The teardown has revealed that Google may let Pixel owners remove the Google Search bar from their home screen.
- This will be a long-awaited move as some Pixel phone users have been requesting this feature for several years.
- This is useful if you use alternative search engines or if you’re frustrated with the search bar in general.
One of the most frequent requests from some Pixel owners over the past few years has been the ability to remove the Google search bar from the home screen. This is an understandable request, as the search bar may be great for most people, but it’s useless for those who use alternative search engines. Luckily, we’ve got evidence that Google will eventually let users do this.
We examined the Android 17 QPR1 beta 2 release and found new Pixel Launcher strings related to the search bar. More specifically, these strings indicate the ability to show or hide the Google search bar on your home screen. Check them out below.
code
Customize search bar
Search bar settings
Show search bar
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We’ve also created a UI mockup in Gemini using these new strings to give you a better idea of what this toggle might look like. You can see the mockup image below.
assembledebug/androidauthority
This will be a long-awaited additional feature for Pixel phones, as some Pixel owners have requested this feature for literally years. This request makes a lot of sense if you’re using an alternative search engine or you just want a clean home screen. However, other users have also noted that the browser is more convenient and robust for web searches or that the app drawer’s search bar is more powerful.
One of the most popular solutions was to install an alternative launcher app, but that meant you had to leave the Pixel Launcher and its associated features. This is far from ideal, so we’re glad Google is working on a proper search bar toggle.
This news comes after the first Android 17 beta finally allowed all Pixel owners to hide the At a Glance widget on the home screen. Apparently, things are getting better if you want a more customizable home screen experience on your Pixel device.
⚠️ One tearing apk Helps to predict future features of a service based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to the public release.
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