Google removed the unified Pixel Launcher search feature with the release of Android 13’s stable version, however it has now started to return with QPR1 Beta 1.
As with the search bar at the bottom of the Pixel Launcher, the search field at the top of your app grid is also identical. From either, you can easily launch Google Lens and provide voice commands to the Assistant, and looking for information on devices and the web now share a single, aesthetically comparable interface.
The actual results you receive, however, vary depending on where a lookup is started. Searching from the top of the app grid regularly reduces online results to four lines, while you also receive results from the Settings app and Pixel Tips, as well as a From this device section that displays app shortcuts. When you search from the homescreen, only up to five app results in a row and online content are displayed; that area is absent.
In the meanwhile, Search your phone in Pixel Launcher Home settings only displays Search the web with People (contacts and conversations) missing. Possible A/B test here.
Thus, this is essentially the prior strategy that is now active on Android 13 stable, but with a more contemporary UI that corresponds to device search. It’s better than the old style and a much-needed visual update, but it’s still puzzling that Google made such a sudden shift.
The business informed us earlier this month that it was aware of the problem and will fix it in a future update. That’s starting to resemble Android 13 QPR1, which will launch stable for Pixel phones in December. Hopefully Google will speed up the process of bringing back more of the beta UI.
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