- Google is working on a new floating search bar for the Pixel Launcher.
- The Pixel Launcher added a universal search bar in Android 12 that can search through your apps, contacts, and more.
- This new search bar would be the same but more easily accessible.
A lot of the appeal of the Pixel lineup comes from Google’s software. While Pixel UI might not have all the bells and whistles of, say, Samsung’s One UI, it has many useful quality-of-life features that you won’t find on many of the other best Android phones. One of the best Pixel-only features is the Pixel Launcher’s universal search bar, which can quickly search through your apps, contacts, settings, and the web.
While some other OEMs have implemented their own take on universal search, Google has the best version of this feature. It was first introduced in a beta for Android 12 and relies on the AppSearch framework introduced in that release. Since its initial release, the Pixel Launcher’s universal search bar hasn’t seen many enhancements besides minor improvements to search results here and there. With the upcoming release of the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop, however, Google may revamp how you interact with the Pixel Launcher’s universal search bar.