Google is quietly testing new controls for Search Live on Android that give users clearer, more immediate ways to pause or end the feature’s always-on listening — and add a persistent floating pill that keeps the session visible when you leave the app.
What changed — the essentials
- A new floating “Live” pill is rolling out to some Android users with the Google app (reported in recent releases around version 16.43). The pill appears at the bottom of the screen with a rotating four-color ring around a Live icon and a session duration indicator. Tap anywhere on the pill to restore the full-screen Search Live interface; tap the microphone icon to mute audio, or tap the “x” to end the session.
- Separately, APK teardowns of a subsequent Google app build (around 16.44.59) turned up a set of test toggles for Search Live: a “Continue in background” switch (to let Search Live keep listening after you close the interface), an “Interrupt live conversations” option, and an in-session “Live Captions” toggle to show transcripts.
- Google is also testing a Search Live shortcut inside AI Mode’s text input field, signaling tighter integration between conversational AI and traditional search workflows.
- Turning “Continue in background” off would stop microphone use once you leave Search Live, addressing privacy and battery/data concerns. With it on, Search Live can continue to monitor briefly for follow-up queries, preserving a hands‑free experience.
- An “Interrupt live conversations” control suggests more graceful session management — ending or pausing an interaction without abruptly throwing away context.
- Live Captions inside Search Live would surface transcripts of what the assistant hears, which can help users verify and correct misinterpretations and aid people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Rollout: The floating pill is appearing for some Android users with recent Google app updates; the background‑listening toggles are still in test builds and may be rolled out via server‑side flags or A/B tests.
- Availability: Google has not announced official release dates or definitive names for the settings; app teardown discoveries do not guarantee public launches.
- Impact: If deployed widely, these controls could set a usability and privacy precedent for other voice and multimodal assistants.
These changes were discovered by app reverse-engineers and reported by multiple outlets after being surfaced in Google app builds. As with many features found in APKs, they are under test and may be changed, limited to experiments, or never shipped.
Why the controls matter: privacy, usability and accessibility
Search Live lets users hold multimodal, real‑time conversations with Google’s search AI using voice and video. That hands‑free convenience — and the feature’s ability to continue listening for follow-ups after you minimize the app — has raised questions about background audio capture. Users and privacy advocates have argued that persistent listening feels intrusive and can erode trust.
The new toggles respond directly to those concerns:
Taken together, these options would give users more granular, session‑level control than the current per‑app microphone permissions and system indicators on Android.
A balancing act: convenience vs. control
From Google’s perspective, Search Live is meant to blur the line between search and conversation — making follow-ups feel natural and results more helpful. The floating pill mirrors design choices used elsewhere in Google’s AI features (for example, Gemini Live’s persistent indicators) and keeps the interaction accessible when the app isn’t in the foreground.
Critics, however, have long warned about the optics and risks of “always‑listening” features. Regulators and courts have put search and data practices under scrutiny in recent months, and privacy‑minded users expect clear, session‑level controls before embracing multimodal assistants more broadly. A simple toggle that stops background listening could reduce the “creepy factor” and limit unnecessary recording of ambient audio.
Where this fits into Google’s wider AI push
Search Live is one part of Google’s broader AI Mode and Gemini strategy: integrating conversational, multimodal tools with traditional Search so people can type, talk, or show images to get dynamic answers. The newly tested shortcut in AI Mode underscores Google’s intent to let users move seamlessly between typed prompts and live conversations.
At the same time, the company has to manage trust. Features like Live Captions and session toggles are as much about usability and accessibility as they are about regulatory and public‑relations risk management.
What to expect next
Bottom line
Google’s work on a floating Search Live control and session‑level toggles indicates the company is trying to square hands‑free convenience with clearer user control. For users who have been uneasy about background listening, the option to stop Search Live when you leave the interface — combined with visible session controls and captions — would be a meaningful, practical improvement. Whether and when these features ship broadly will determine how much they reshape the trust equation around conversational search.