What do you use the google search bar in android home page for?

[acsurfer]

Do you use the google search bar in android home page, what do you use it for? Do you use it more often than Chrome?

It seems useless to me. If I tap it a new page pops up with a search bar to let me search for something, it does not appear like a real chrome browser, no new tabs function, no history. A chrome browser works better.

Not sure what is good about the google search bar and why does it need to occupy 4 icons length, I intend to remove it and make space for 4 icons.

 

[Fulani Filot]

I prefer to use Chrome browser (or any other browser) to do my searches. I still can't figure out why the Google App is made without it giving the user to open a browser for extended searching.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Google search bar isn't just a web search function -- it also incorporates Google Assistant commands, so if you type (or say) something like "Show me my messages," that will activate the Google Assistant feature (but if you do that in the Chrome URL bar, it will just search for that term). In addition, it can also search for apps on your phone.

I agree that it's annoying that the Google search bar widget can't be removed from the Pixel Launcher homescreen. That's likely a business decision on Google's part, since their main thrust for the past few years has been to get Google Assistant highly visible everywhere. You can always use a 3rd party launcher like Nova to get rid of it.

 

[mustang7757]

I use it to go Google feed short cut by taping the G but on non pixel phones .

 

[Javier P]

I don't use it, I removed it with Nova launcher.

 

[B. Diddy]

While using Nova, I set the double-tap screen gesture to open up the Google app.

 

[mustang7757]

While using Nova, I set the double-tap screen gesture to open up the Google app.

That's the flexibility in Nova

 

[acsurfer]

I use it to go Google feed short cut by taping the G but on non pixel phones .

I am using Samsung Note 8 and after taping G, I saw those feed, are they just random news from different article sites?

 

[mustang7757]

I am using Samsung Note 8 and after taping G, I saw those feed, are they just random news from different article sites?

Yeah its Google feed , you can set it up to what you want to see and what you searched

 

[acsurfer]

The Google search bar isn't just a web search function -- it also incorporates Google Assistant commands, so if you type (or say) something like "Show me my messages," that will activate the Google Assistant feature (but if you do that in the Chrome URL bar, it will just search for that term). In addition, it can also search for apps on your phone.

Do you really use it very often in real life, other than "Show me my messages" do you use it for other stuff?

It seems like google assistant is just for fun, for example asking random stuff like "what is the time now" to test it only, in real life daily usage I will go back to typing in chrome or tapping whatever app I want without using google assistant at all as seems more clumsy to use it

 

[joeldf]

I don't use it and turned I off. I use Nova launcher on my S9.

I also disabled the Google App. I have no use for that either.

 

[mustang7757]

I don't use it and turned I off. I use Nova launcher on my S9.

I also disabled the Google App. I have no use for that either.

That google app plays a big function on your phone , wouldn't disable .

 

[joeldf]

That google app plays a big function on your phone , wouldn't disable .

It was among the first things I disabled when I first got an S8 back in the fall of 2017. Did the same with this current S9 a year ago.

Hasn't hurt a thing.

Play Store still works, and that's all that matters to me.

 

[mustang7757]

It was among the first things I disabled when I first got an S8 back in the fall of 2017. Did the same with this current S9 a year ago.

Hasn't hurt a thing.

Play Store still works, and that's all that matters to me.

Understand, but it plays a bigger role from 2017 this thing when it updates in play store throws me out of what I'm doing showing it's a major core app , you might not have issues now or maybe the way you use your phone but you can have downlloads from places give issues and other related stuff like Google voice assistant. I'm just letting you know , you choose how you want . But that app is big player .

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you really use it very often in real life, other than "Show me my messages" do you use it for other stuff?

It seems like google assistant is just for fun, for example asking random stuff like "what is the time now" to test it only, in real life daily usage I will go back to typing in chrome or tapping whatever app I want without using google assistant at all as seems more clumsy to use it

True, I don't use Assistant that frequently. But I do use the Google app with some regularity, both for my Discovery feed as well as for search. One advantage of the Google search bar or app is that it's easier to speak search terms (either by tapping the microphone icon on the search bar itself, or by saying "Hey Google"). If you do it in Chrome, and if the Google home page isn't showing, then you have to tap the URL bar, then find the microphone icon on your keyboard, then start speaking -- a bit more of a hassle, which multiplied many times can become more and more annoying.

 

[joeldf]

Understand, but it plays a bigger role from 2017 this thing when it updates in play store throws me out of what I'm doing showing it's a major core app , you might not have issues now or maybe the way you use your phone but you can have downlloads from places give issues and other related stuff like Google voice assistant. I'm just letting you know , you choose how you want . But that app is big player .

That's just it. Other than apps from the Play Store, I don't use anything Google. I have a Google account, but I used non-gmail email account with it. I don't use Gmail at all. Don't use any assistant (including Bixby, which I also disabled as much as I can).

Never a problem with any update. Never a problem with any download. I use the BlackBerry Hub+ suite for my email, calendar and contacts. And Microsoft's Word and Excel apps for documents. I work with photos and PDFs a lot. As an architect, I have large Revit models I keep and transfer with my phone, and they are much to large (multi-Gb ranges) to cloud sync, so direct local copy is something I do a lot of.

Oh, I do use Google Maps, and it has my home and work address, but I don't let the account keep anything - searches, locations, basically everything is paused that can be paused.

If there are any searches I need, I pull up the browser - and Firefox at that - and type what I want in there. Done. I don't ever need to search the phone, because I know where everything is.

 

[mustang7757]

Cool..just letting you know !

 

[joeldf]

Cool..just letting you know !

Now, should something happen in the future, I'll come back and eat crow.

 

[mustang7757]

Now, should something happen in the future, I'll come back and eat crow.

Lol.. at least you know where to look first If anything gets out of whack

 

[acsurfer]

That google app plays a big function on your phone , wouldn't disable .

I just moved the bar to the second home page, and I notice I need to swipe my home page to the second home page that the bar is on, then when I speak "hey google" it will work.

I can long press and remove icon from home too.

Any idea how to let it work like normal after removing the bar? And when I am not at the home page that the bar is? (I mean like if i say hey google it will still work.)