Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- An Android Authority teardown has revealed that Google could let Pixel owners remove the Google search bar from their home screen.
- This would be a long-overdue move as some Pixel phone users have requested this feature for several years now.
- This is handy if you use an alternative search engine or if you’re simply annoyed by the search bar in general.
One of the most persistent requests from some Pixel owners over the years is the ability to remove the Google search bar from the home screen. This is an understandable request, as the search bar might be great for most people, but it’s useless for those who use alternative search engines. Fortunately, we’ve uncovered evidence that Google will finally let users do just that.
We sifted through the Android 17 QPR1 beta 2 release and found new Pixel Launcher strings related to the search bar. More specifically, these strings hint at the ability to show or hide the Google search bar on your home screen. Check them out below.
Code
<string name="search_bar_customize">Customize search bar</string>
<string name="search_bar_settings">Search bar settings</string>
<string name="title_show_search_bar">Show search bar</string>
<string name="subtitle_show_search_bar">At the bottom of your home screen</string>Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
We also generated a UI mockup in Gemini using these new strings to give you a better idea of what this toggle could look like. You can view the mockup image below.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
This would be a long-overdue addition to Pixel phones, as some Pixel owners have requested this feature for literally years now. This request makes a lot of sense if you’re using an alternative search engine or if you just want a cleaner 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 workarounds was installing an alternative launcher app, but this meant you had to ditch the Pixel Launcher and its associated features. That’s far from ideal, so we’re glad Google is working on a proper search bar toggle.
This news also comes after the first Android 17 beta finally allowed all Pixel owners to hide the At a Glance widget on the home screen. Evidently, things are looking up if you want a more customizable home screen experience on your Pixel device.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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