The Pixel Launcher's search bar is already a nifty tool, letting you quickly search the web or find an app. But guess what? It looks like Google might be about to make finding your apps even easier. Right now, when you search for an app, you have to tap the app icon to open it. If you hit the search button on your keyboard, it annoyingly takes you to a Google search instead.

However, some users noticed that typing an app name in the search bar now highlights it and adds "open" next to it automatically. Even better, the search button on the keyboard transforms into an arrow/enter button, and tapping it actually launches the app. It's like a shortcut straight to your app, which sounds a lot more efficient than the current setup. To be able to tap the enter button right from the keyboard to open an app, rather than having to move your finger all the way to the top of the screen, it's a lot more practical.

I remember that the Pixel Launcher search worked like this before Android 13 QPR1, and Google tested bringing it back last year. Although there's no guarantee this feature will stick around. I checked my own Pixels running the latest Android versions, but I didn't see the update. It seems to be a small, server-side experiment for now.

If you're seeing this change on your Pixel, drop a comment with your model and Android version. I'm curious to know if it rolls out more widely, since I can see how useful it can be.