Search has consistently been a center component of Android — the OS is made by Google, all things considered. However, perhaps the coolest tricks of the system has been held for Google’s own launcher and widget: the ability to search through both your own applications and web search results at once. That ability might be going to all launchers and applications sooner rather than later, as indicated by developer documentation for Android 12.
To be specific, we’re discussing the conduct you see while looking from the Google widget, either in the Pixel Launcher or utilizing some other launcher with the widget placed on your screen. This search gets to both Google web search information and the list of apps installed on your phone. Third party launchers can’t do this within their own list of apps.
For example, Nova Launcher’s drawer search has connections to look for a question on Google or the Play Store, yet can’t populate the list with anything with the exception of sections from your own installed apps. It’s feasible to grow this with third party tools like Sesame Search, yet right now it’s a long way from a smooth encounter.
The update was spotted by the engineers of Niagara Launcher, and presented on Twitter. The “AppSearchManager” API entry, as per its documentation, permits any application to activate the unified AppSearch index, potentially in any event, including activities inside the application.
For example, say, searching within a Google Doc or tracking down a particular local photo indexed in a gallery app. That is usefulness that mirrors all the more remarkable local search tools, as seen on Windows and MacOS, and surprisingly the standard search function incorporated into the home screen of iOS.
OnePlus has effectively assembled a custom implementation of search like this, and it’s one of the features that we’ve trusted would advance toward vanilla Android. We haven’t seen this more broad AppSearchManager tool implemented at this point on the Android 12 Developer Preview.
