Try this next time you swipe up on a Pixel: type the start of an app name and hit the bottom-right key — and the app opens. That tiny motion is the whole point of a new Pixel Launcher tweak Google is rolling out, and for people who live in their keyboards, it’s a surprisingly tidy fix.
What changed
Pixel Launcher now converts the keyboard’s bottom-right button from a web-search icon into an Enter/arrow key when the launcher recognizes a matching installed app. Pressing it launches the highlighted app immediately instead of firing a Google web search. The switch restores a behavior many longtime Pixel users remember from before late 2022, when Google removed a similar quick-launch shortcut.
Why does this matter? On taller phones — and on foldables — tapping an app icon up near the top of the screen can be awkward. Keeping the whole interaction at the keyboard keeps your thumb where it already is, shaving a tap and improving one-handed ergonomics.
Rollout and compatibility
Google appears to be flipping this on from the server side rather than bundling it in a visible app update. That explains the patchy availability: some users report seeing the change on devices as far back as the Pixel 6a and as new as the Pixel 8 Pro on Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, while others (including a Pixel 10 Pro XL on stable Android 16 QPR2) still don’t have it.
Gboard honors the launcher’s action hints and is confirmed to work; other keyboards should follow if they respect those hints. If you don’t see the behavior yet, the usual troubleshooting steps sometimes help: keep Pixel Launcher, Google Play services and your keyboard app up to date, try switching keyboards, or clear the launcher cache and wait for the server-side flag to reach your device.
This move follows a pattern of small, behind-the-scenes adjustments to Pixel search and launcher behavior — the kind of under-the-hood changes Google has been testing elsewhere, including tweaks to Search Live controls on Android. Those experiments suggest Google is quietly experimenting with where search and launcher responsibilities should live on the home screen.
Familiar, but not identical
Third-party launchers such as Nova, Lawnchair and Niagara have long emphasised keyboard-first navigation; iOS’s Spotlight also surfaces and opens top matches quickly. The Pixel tweak isn’t revolutionary so much as corrective: it nudges Pixel Launcher back toward a speed-first workflow that many users expect.
Google briefly tested a similar quick-launch behavior in 2023 but never expanded that pilot. The current, broader rollout looks more deliberate — and it lands as Google continues to fold more advanced search capabilities into its ecosystem. Those efforts, like the company’s work on deeper search across Drive and Gmail, show that Google is rethinking how search sits alongside app discovery on phones rather than treating them as separate tasks.
Quick tips to try it now
- Enable “Always show keyboard” in the app drawer settings so you can start typing immediately after you swipe up.
- Use short, distinct app name fragments (e.g., “yt” for YouTube, “cal” for Calendar) to get a clean top match faster.
- If the Enter arrow doesn’t appear, update Gboard (or your keyboard of choice) and Pixel Launcher, or try switching keyboards briefly.
This is one of those micro-optimizations that, once you’ve used it for a day, you notice whenever it’s gone: one fewer reach, one smoother flow. Whether Google leaves the behavior on for everyone, tweaks it further, or extends it into a unified device search experience remains to be seen — but for now, the launcher is a bit snappier.
For context on other Pixel search experiments and Google’s broader push into smarter, deeper search features, see how Google has been testing floating Search Live controls on Android and its work on Gemini Deep Research tying into Gmail and Drive.