Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
In brief
- A new beta version of the Google app attempts to remove the prominent search button from the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Google seems to be experimenting with several alternative layouts for the navigation interface.
Trying to guess Google’s plans based on recent changes to its software can be a bit like reading tea leaves. We can see the actual changes clearly enough, but what decisions caused them and how might such decisions affect future versions? Search has been the cornerstone of Google for decades, even as the form of search changes and evolves with the emergence of AI-powered systems. While Google’s interest in search is seemingly undiminished, why does the company seem to downplay it in its recent work on the Google app?
A APK teardown helps predict features that might be included in a service in the future based on code in progress. However, such predicted features may not make it into a public release.
Just a few weeks ago we were looking at work on some tweaks to the Google app that should give it some powerful new on-device search capabilities. But now we’re looking at the new Google app beta 15.32.37.28.arm64 and everywhere we look it feels like search is moving a little further away.
In this beta, Google is apparently testing various new layouts for the bottom bar of the app that no longer feature a prominent search button. Granted, it only takes a second and a swipe or two to access the search bar at the top, but it’s still a little odd that the button would be removed in this way.
During testing, we were able to access several alternative layouts for the app’s bottom bar, all of which lacked search functionality. UI changes like this could largely be based on data-driven analysis that mimics how actual users interact with the app. And if Google’s testing shows that users reach up when searching, perhaps such a move actually makes sense.
However, Google often experiments with such things and it remains to be seen what the bottom bar of the Google app will ultimately look like after this latest round of manipulation.
