After an initial test in 2021, Google apps are once again exploring the bottom search bar on Android. Meanwhile, the in-app settings page has been reorganized.
About APK Insights: In this “APK Insight” post, we have decompiled the latest version of the application that Google has uploaded to the Play Store. When you decompile these files (called APKs for Android apps), you can see various lines of code that hint at future features. Please note that Google may or may not provide these features, and our interpretation of them may be incomplete. However, for the ones that are near completion, we will be able to show you what they will look like when shipped. Please keep that in mind as you read on.
Google Apps 14.48, which is still in its early stages, reveals how it will become part of the bottom bar, technically making it a sheet with rounded corners. You can see that a very tall search bar is used.
This certainly helps with reachability on taller Android devices. I enabled this design today, but it’s clearly unfinished because there’s a gap at the top of the screen. Once complete, a carousel of suggested actions and mini-widgets and Discover articles will move to the top.
Speaking of Discover, we also now have an interesting renaming of the “Discover” tab to the more generic “Home”.
Back in 2021, the bottom search bar design was actually A/B tested. Let’s see if we can get that far this time.
In related news, Google apps are rolling out a small redesign of settings that consolidates some menus (8 instead of 11), so the list is mind-boggling by the end. The new “Privacy & Safety” includes SafeSearch, personalized search results, and personalization, while “More Settings” plays an overarching role. It started rolling out last week, but is not yet widely available.
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Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.
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