I open it and it immediately minimizes and will not stay open no matter how many times I try. Is this an attribute of the phone? Or do I just need to stick with the factory version? It seems to have a few issues though.
Welcome to Android Central! You updated it through Google Play, right? Try going to Settings>Apps, select the Google app, and Clear Cache/Clear Data. Now open it again and see if the problem persists.
Ok, but did you clear the cache and data as I had suggested?
If that doesn't help, then try it in Safe Mode: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-31731. If it works, then that suggests the latest Google update is conflicting with some app you installed. If it doesn't work, then the latest update probably has a specific glitch on your phone. Send Google feedback about it, then go to the Play Store, select the Google app, and Uninstall (which will uninstall updates and revert to the factory-installed version of the Google app). Then wait until Google comes out with another update to the app so you can update it and see if the problem persists.