Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3 should be the last major preview (excluding any upcoming .1 patches) before the stable launch in September, and Google is making tweaks to weather in At a Glance and the Pixel Launcher search field.
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The first Android Canary has a number of user-facing tweaks for the Pixel Launcher that let you remove the AI Mode shortcut, while bringing back the colorful At a Glance weather icons.
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Google’s new AI Mode is a built-in part of the Pixel Launcher’s search bar whether you like it or not, but the company appears to be building out a way to turn it off.
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Google has now rolled out the redesigned Pixel Launcher search bar (in the US) and new Gemini launch animation (for everyone) to Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 users.
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With Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2, the Pixel Launcher search bar is getting a redesign to match the Google app’s updated homescreen widget.
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Pixel owners are getting quick access to AI Mode via the Google Search bar that’s built into the Pixel Launcher.
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Google is rolling out a small redesign of how the Pixel Launcher displays web and local (app) search results to make things a bit more uniform. This applies to phones and tablets.
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A bug introduced with this month’s Android 14 QPR2 update breaks Pixel Launcher Search settings so that you cannot disable people/contact or Play Store results.
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Following changes in the EU due to the Digital Markets Act, Google is now rolling out a Pixel Launcher update in the region which lets users switch their search provider to something other than Google Search.
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In announcing that Assistant would lose 17 “underutilized” features, Google also said the Pixel Launcher microphone shortcut would be removed. Google is now rolling out this deprecation.
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Back in December, we spotted Pixel Launcher search surfacing Quick Settings Tiles. The first iteration of this feature is now widely rolling out.
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There are a handful of ways to launch Google Assistant on Android at this point. With the Pixel Launcher, you can tap the microphone icon in the search bar, but this is currently opening “voice search” instead of Assistant.
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Google’s elevation of its Password Manager continues with a Pixel Launcher search shortcut.
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In a notable expansion, Pixel Launcher search is getting the ability to surface Quick Settings (QS) Tiles.
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In Android 14 QPR2, it’s been revealed that Google is soon going to let users turn off the At a Glance widget on the Pixel Launcher, but in the latest beta, we’ve also found that you might also be able to relocate it.
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Google’s Pixel experience has long included the “At a Glance” widget that sits at the top of the primary homescreen. Soon, though, the Pixel Launcher will finally let you turn off At a Glance.
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Before the big redesign that we’ve previously enabled, At a Glance is getting an “About this content” section.
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Earlier this month, we reported how the At a Glance widget is getting a big Material You redesign. Google is still actively working on this new At a Glance, including the ability to customize the widget.
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Google is readying a big Material You redesign of the Assistant At a Glance widget for Android devices.
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The Google Discover feed to the left of the Pixel Launcher is getting a bit more Dynamic Color.
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Last week, Google started letting users migrate away from Assistant Reminders to Google Tasks and is now starting the automatic transfer for Workspace users, with personal accounts following soon.
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As we first spotted last July, At a Glance will now show “Ridesharing” status on your Pixel’s lockscreen.
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As we previously spotted, the Pixel Launcher will let you search for and “quick launch” an app without having to tap the top of the screen.
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Pixel phones already offer cough and snore detection when you sleep, as well as always-on Now Playing song detection, and Google is now planning to add loud sound alerts in At a Glance.
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