Google might restore a useful Pixel Launcher shortcut that lets you type the name of an app and quickly open it without leaving the keyboard.

At the moment, typing anything into the Pixel Launcher is a prelude to web search. The button in the bottom-right corner of your keyboard has a magnifying glass icon. As such, you have to raise your hand from the keyboard (or use another) and tap to launch apps. 

Some users are now seeing app results highlighted in the top row with “open” appearing in the text field. The corner button remains an arrow to launch the app.

Before Android 13 QPR1, open was the default behavior (like on iOS), but that December 2022 update introduced a combined web and on-device search. Google was spotted testing “quick launch” in 2023, but that never launched. Today’s UI has a slight visual tweak.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

There are only a handful of reports today about the restored open behavior in what’s presumably a server-side update. We’re not seeing it on Android 16 QPR1 or QPR2. Hopefully, Google proceeds with this quality-of-life improvement. At the very least, it should be a Pixel Launcher settings option between open app and web search.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


Source link

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We blogs.grocliq.com want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It’s possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.

Website Upgradation is going on for any glitch kindly connect at [email protected]

 

 

Categorized in:

Blog,

Last Update: September 30, 2025