The report came from the Google News Telegram group and was also shared by Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (via). One of the screenshots shows how the search bar could move to the top while also incorporating the user image thumbnail. However, this comes at the expense of the weather icon on the top left. In its current form, the thumbnail appears on the top right with the search bar positioned below it. This redesign would bring the Google app in line with apps like the Play Store and Gmail, which include user thumbnails within the search bars. Another curious change we’re witnessing is the repositioning of the search bar to the bottom of the screen. This would be a great feature to help one-handed usage, particularly on phones with larger screens. Apple already does this on iOS with the Safari browser, so it’s not particularly new.
The feature reportedly pops up on the Google app beta version 12.47.12
Interestingly, the user thumbnail doesn’t appear when the search bar is positioned at the bottom of the screen. It’s unclear if the thumbnail moves back to the top right or if it’s removed altogether. Since these are under-testing features, it’s hard to predict whether they will ever see the light of the day. But bringing the search bar to the bottom of the screen appears to be the next logical step for the Google app. The new feature reportedly appears on the Google app beta version 12.47.12. Its availability on the stable channel could be a few weeks away, however. It’s worth noting that this isn’t a Material You update but merely a repositioning of the search bar. We’ll keep an ear to the ground for more information on these new features. Speaking of Material You, Google recently updated the Gmail widget in line with the new design philosophy. Although the Gmail app was refreshed with Material You several weeks ago, the widgets weren’t part of the makeover. The Google Keep widget on Android also received a similar update some weeks prior. The company’s Material You update has been far from streamlined, with a few apps still awaiting the full suite of changes.
