Android 13 may have a feature similar to Apple’s Spotlight.
The Pixel Launcher, which comes pre-installed on Pixel phones, isn’t exactly what I’m looking for. As a result, only the finest Android launchers from third-party software developers are left to put together what they can from the Google Play Store. However, recent information about Android P has piqued my attention once again, and I look forward to giving the Pixel Launcher another go.
You can pull up images, widgets, and even Google searches in the Pixel Launcher’s search bar by activating specific flags in Android 13 Developer Preview 2. Android 12’s universal search is a big part of this, thus this is a big deal.
We’re hopeful that this will operate as expected, and that Android will be able to compete with Apple’s long-running Spotlight feature. Search for applications and send messages by swiping down from the top of the screen on iPhones. You can also run Google searches by swiping down (which open in either the Spotlight info feed or the Safari app on your iPhone). When I wrote my review of Android 12, I said that Spotlight should be a permanent feature of Android.
The flags that Mishaal activated have been present for a long time, but only recently have they begun to function. When searching for anything, you may now see a screenshot, a widget, and even Google searches in the Pixel Launcher’s search bar. The Android System Intelligence app is responsible for this.
The sooner this is adopted, the better for everyone. We’re not sure whether this will be part of the Pixel Feature Drop or the final release of Android 13 later this year.
So far, all I know is that the Pixel Launcher is set to become a whole lot better. Even if Google gives this up to third-party applications, which I doubt, it may persuade me to migrate away from Nova Launcher. (It’s still a hack if you find it in other launchers.)