Android 12 will bring a global search feature, not enabled in the beta

Although some manufacturers have implemented system-wide search on their Android devices, it is not part of the core operating system. This situation is about to change in Android 12, because there are similar features in the beta version of Pixel phones, even if this feature has not been officially released, it seems that its work is still going on.

Now, users who have installed the Beta 4 version can only access it through the search bar in the app drawer, and the search widget on the home screen still uses the old search function. For the app drawer, a neat new option can make the keyboard pop up every time you open the app drawer, and then you can immediately start typing to find what you are looking for.

Below are some details of the Android 12 system-wide search feature. The system-wide search on the device can view the following: shortcuts (for applications and people), people (contacts, but also text conversations with them), settings (including switching and other controls), and prompts. If you don’t want it to appear in the results, you can disable each category individually.

Google is obviously trying to add more search categories, but this does not seem to be ready, or the feature itself is not ready. However, this is something that iOS users have been enjoying for years, and it will be a great addition to Android. There is a way to activate the system-wide search, although it only works with rooted pixels and requires a Magisk module developed by kdrag0n.

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