Google App Beta Hints at Major Visual Overhaul for Search Live and Home Screen
An APK teardown of Google app beta version 17.18.22.sa.arm64 reveals planned visual updates to the Search Live interface and home screen buttons. These features are based on work-in-progress code and may not be publicly released.
Search Live Interface Updates
The updated Search Live interface features a purplish-blue hue that animates around the screen edges while a user is speaking. During responses, a color-changing light at the bottom of the display shifts.
The interface includes a centered 'G' gradient, a back button, and a three-dot overflow menu. This menu provides access to Voice settings, allowing users to configure languages, enable or disable spoken results, and select a voice from options including Cosmo, Neso, Terra, or Cassini.
The prompt now reads "Listening…" with the existing face illustration. A four-color arc, similar to those found in AI Mode and Search Live, appears at the bottom of the screen, with the user's query transcribed above it.
A larger "Search a song" button is included, leading to a song search interface prompting users to "Play, Sing, Hum." This replaces a previous globe animation. A shortcut to song search history is available in the top-right corner.
Home Screen Button Changes
Buttons under the search bar will be proportionally smaller. The Search Live button will be labeled "Talk" (previously unlabeled). The image generation button, currently represented by a banana emoji, will become a stylized icon of a stack of photos with the word "Create."
Rollout and Availability
According to additional reporting, a redesign and modernization of the voice search feature on Android devices commenced with version 17.1 (stable) and 17.2 (beta) of the Google app. The update is not yet widely available. The information regarding the specific visual updates was obtained from an APK teardown, which can predict features based on work-in-progress code; such features may not be publicly released.