Google Pixel phones like Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro come with a few software customizations and extras that help set them apart from all the other Android phones on the market and it seems that yet another significant new feature is on the road.
According to the code discovered by 9to5Google, the Pixel Launcher (that is, what you see on the first home screen) is being prepared for a search upgrade that matches queries with results in a number of additional apps, including Google Maps, YouTube and Play Store.
If you run a search from the Pixel home screen today, you’ll already get results from files on your phone as well as from the actual Google web search engine. Now it seems that this functionality is being expanded in the near future.
Search everywhere
Of course, the improved search options will save you the hassle of jumping into specific apps like Google Maps and YouTube and running searches from there. It also looks like you might be able to search Android settings using the same feature.
One caveat though: it’s always difficult to interpret unfinished code, and although 9to5Google has correctly identified what these new features are, there’s always a chance that Google’s changing its mind about implementing them.
At the moment, it is not clear if or when other Android phones can get the same functionality or when the search upgrade may hit Pixel phones. It’s possible that this comes as part of one of the Pixel Drop updates that Google regularly pushes out.
Analysis: time for Pixels to shine
It is fair to say that the fortune of the Google Pixel series of phones has been up and down since 2013, which is when the very first Pixel and Pixel XL phones appeared. With the Pixel 6 series, however, Google certainly looks to be moving forward.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that Pixel is the fastest-selling model of the phone ever released. Now it may be a low bar to clear – and he did not reveal the actual sales figures – but the general consensus is that Google finally has a smartphone that can go head-to-head with the handsets pushed out of e.g. Apple and Samsung.
Of course, for any phone to be successful, it must have a winning combination of both hardware and software, and this is the latter area where Google can really push on. It does search and artificial intelligence better than almost anyone else, and the enhanced version of Android that it puts on its Pixels should reflect that.
The upgrade we’ve covered above would be another step forward, and we’d also like to see Google Assistant become even more proactive in terms of knowing what users will do on their smartphones and when they will do so.