A makeover of the Search widget is being rolled out by Google on Android.
A makeover of the Search widget is being rolled out by Google on Android.
An updated version of the Search bar homescreen widget is being made available to all users of the Google app for Android, which has been undergoing beta testing since the beginning of this month.
Previously, the design consisted of nothing more than a pill-shaped container with the ‘G’ emblem located on the left side. On the right-hand side, you will see a shortcut that is optional, a microphone for voice input, and Google Lens.
The original Search bar, which does not have any custom action, has been moved into a different container as part of today’s makeover. Following the placement of the shortcut into a circle, it is then shifted to the right. This distinction helps to ensure that the three buttons do not seem to be excessively crowded when placed next to one another together. This widget will continue to be put in the container even if the shortcut is disabled; however, it will become virtually edge-to-edge.
The new widget is a little bit taller than the previous one, which is in line with the thicker search fields that Material 3 has and Expressive’s tendency to put things in containers. Overall, it is a continuation of the redesign of Circle to Search that was implemented at the beginning of this year.
If the Transparency slider on the Customise tab is set to 0%, you will still be able to view your background wallpaper since the background container allows you to monitor it. The contours on the inside will always be darker than those on the outside.
Instead than having a width of 3×1, the minimum width required to have all four buttons visible is 4×1. The ‘G’ button is responsible for opening the Google app. This may cause certain homescreen layouts to become disorganised.
It seems that the Search bar widget has been redesigned as part of a server-side upgrade that is being implemented with Google app version 16.19 (try forcing the program to close). There is still no indication as to whether or not Google will ultimately change the search bar of the Pixel Launcher, and whether or not it will acquire the custom shortcut.
