- A new Google app beta tries removing the prominent Search button from the screen-bottom nav bar.
- Google appears to be experimenting with several alternate layouts for the navigation interface.
Trying to divine Google’s plans from the latest changes to its software can be a bit like reading tea leaves; we can see the actual changes clearly enough, but what were the decisions that caused them to happen, and how might decisions like those impact future releases? Search has been the cornerstone of all things Google for decades now, even as the shape of what Search looks like changes and evolves with the emergence of AI-powered systems. With Google’s interest in Search seemingly going strong, why does the company seem to be downplaying it in its latest work on the Google app?
Just a few weeks back, we were checking out work towards some tweaks to the Google app that would give it some powerful new on-device search capabilities. But now we’re looking at the new Google app 15.32.37.28.arm64 beta, and everywhere we turn, it feels like Search is being moved slightly further away.