Google released the second Android 12 Developer Preview last month and gave us some information about the upcoming features. Among them was a new search widget for the Pixel Launcher that would allow users to search for apps, contacts, settings, and many other things on their device. It now appears that this functionality will not be limited to the Pixel Launcher in Android 12.
The developers behind Niagara Launcher, a popular third‑party home‑screen replacement app, found new details in the Android 12 preview documentation, which suggests that Google is adding a new device search API in Android 12 that will allow third‑party launchers to offer a similar universal search capability.
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As you can see in the attached tweet, the feature will give third‑party launchers «access to the central AppSearch index maintained by the system».
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It further emphasizes that the AppSearch index is a search library for managing structured data that includes:
- A fully offline on-device solution
- A set of APIs for apps to index documents and retrieve them via full-text search
- APIs for apps that allow the system to display its content on the system's user interface surfaces
- Similarly, APIs for apps that allow the System to share its content with other designated apps.
This feature will essentially provide a native alternative to universal search apps like Sesame, giving users the ability to search for almost anything on their device without any hassle. While we don't have any further information about this integration at this time, we expect to learn more in the upcoming Android 12 developer previews.
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It is worth noting that OnePlus already offers a similar universal search functionality in the native launcher app. However, it is limited to a specific region. With the new Android 12 device search API, it can reach other regions as well.
Information source: xda-developers.com
