After beta testing earlier this month, the Google app on Android is rolling out a redesign of the Search bar homescreen widget to all users.
Old vs. new Today’s redesign places that original Search bar — sans custom action — into another container.
Overall, it takes after the Circle to Search redesign from the start of this year.
We’re seeing the Search bar widget redesign with Google app 16.19 as part of a server-side update (try a Force stop of the application).
It remains to be seen whether Google will eventually update the Pixel Launcher’s search bar, and if it will gain the custom shortcut.
All users of the Google app on Android are now able to access the updated Search bar homescreen widget following beta testing earlier this month.
The previous design was just a pill-shaped container with the “G” logo on the left side. Google Lens, a voice input microphone, and an optional shortcut are located toward the right.
Old versus. first.
The original search bar, without any custom action, is now housed in a different container thanks to today’s redesign. A circle is formed around the shortcut, and it is shifted to the right. This division aids in preventing the three buttons from looking overly crowded next to one another. This widget remains in the container but moves almost edge-to-edge if the shortcut is disabled.
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Because of its slight height increase, this new widget complements Material 3’s thicker search fields and Expressive’s preference for containerizing everything. It is based on the Circle to Search redesign that was introduced earlier this year.
Even when the Customize page’s Transparency slider is set to 0%, you can still see your background wallpaper thanks to the background container. Invariably, the inner shapes will be darker than the outer ones.
The ‘G’ only opens the Google app, so the minimum width required to make all four buttons show up is 4×1 rather than 3×1. Some homescreen layouts may be affected by this.
A server-side update is being implemented with Google app 16.19, which includes redesigning the search bar widget (try a Force stop of the application). It is unclear if Google will eventually add a custom shortcut to the Pixel Launcher and update the search bar.
See the Google app for more details.
