Google releases useful app search tool for the Pixel Launcher
Pixel 6 and newer models now have a feature that accesses apps faster in the Pixel Launcher.
Last September, we told you that Google was testing the return of the Pixel Launcher app search feature. Type in the name of an app into the search bar at the top of the Pixel Launcher (you might be able to get by typing in the first one to three letters of the app's name). If you have that app installed on your Pixel, the icon will appear and above it, in the text field of the search bar, you will see the word "open." When you see the word "open," the magnifying glass on the Gboard keyboard turns into an enter key/arrow. Press the enter key and the app opens.
What the Pixel Launcher app search feature does for you
Not only does this help you quickly find an app on your Pixel, but it will also allow you to open the app without having to do finger calisthenics and stretch your finger to reach the top of the phone. The feature was available on Pixel phones prior to December 2022 until Android 13 QPR1 was released. That update combined on-device and web search for the search bar in the Pixel Launcher.
Last September, Google tested the Pixel Launcher app search feature and as it turned out, some Pixel users got to keep this capability on their Pixel phones while the rest of us should start to see it appear within days. The app search feature for the Pixel Launcher has arrived on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 16 QPR Beta 3. It also might have landed on your Pixel handset powered by the stable Android 16 QPR2 version of the operating system.
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The Pixel Launcher app search feature that should be available on your Pixel 6 and later model. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Just last month, Google replaced the fixed home screen search bar at the bottom of the Pixel home screen display. This was announced with the November 2025 Pixel Feature Drop. However, Google didn't press the button to activate the server-side update on Pixel 6 through Pixel 10 models until December 16–17, 2025. This was done by Google to emphasize AI Mode which allows users to return to easily return to earlier AI sessions that they had. It also was done to align the search experience for Pixel users with the Google Search widget on other Android devices.
What Google's AI Mode does
What the December change did do was remove unified search from the fixed search bar at the bottom of a Pixel display. That used to allow you to search inside your device for contacts, settings, and apps. After the change, that search bar focuses on results from the web and AI Mode. With AI Mode, instead of receiving a link to a single page on the internet that answers
your questions, AI browses the web, reads documents (and even goes through your Gmail and Drive accounts with your permission) and writes you a report answering your question(s).
For example, let's say you are interested in buying a new guitar. You play rhythm and lead for a power pop band. Which guitar should you buy? Previously, Google would give you links to guitar stores in your area. With AI Mode, you are given a report that defines power pop and includes instrument recommendations. "For 2026, experts recommend versatile solid-body electric guitars that provide a wide tonal range and smooth playability," the report says and includes specific guitar models to choose from and why they should be considered.
Pixel users should be pleased with these changes
The report contains a list of several guitars with a rundown for each one. For example, one of the guitar manufacturers recommended was Rickenbacker. The report says: "While not explicitly detailed in the 2026 pricing data, offset styles like the Squier Classic Vibe 60s Jazzmaster are noted for their "jangly" character, which is a hallmark of the power pop genre." The report also allows you to select from four pictured guitars and select whch ones you to get more information on.
Bottom line? The changes that Google has made to search capabilities on the Pixel Launcher and the Pixel home page are improvements for Pixel users. Not all will see it this way, but the updates let you access apps quickly and can provide you with some serious in-depth research on matters that affect you.
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