Author Topic: Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)  (Read 3686 times)

Grench

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OK, so I could see potentially giving Google 2 icons worth of home page - maybe ...  but 5 for a search bar PLUS icons for actually useful things - that is a bit much.

So, I want to shrink the Google search bar down to 1x1 or 1x2 instead of it's 1x5 format.  But - it cannot be selected, dragged or deleted.

There are positions for 30 icons on my home screen and Google has decided they need 5 of them for a mandatory search bar?

Alternatively I've tried to switch 'home screen' to one of the other desktops - nope.  Home can only be the far left desktop - not the middle one or the right one, only the far left one.  And - the far left one will not move right or allow itself to be replaced by one of the others.

And here's the kicker - it's use of 5 icons worth of space is completely pointless as you're not entering any text directly into it.  Selecting the thing pops up a full screen search application.  If that width were actually there as a text input box, I might be a bit more sympathetic.  But,  as-is, what a waste of screen real estate.

Does anyone have a solution to make Google's search BBBBBAAAAARRRRR into a G! icon?

Isaac

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2018, 09:36:04 pm »
You can install a third party launcher such as Apex Launcher which will let you remove the bar.

stfn

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2018, 06:45:06 am »
The strange thing is, uninstalling the Google app doesn't remove the searchbar. It only turns it in a unusable white bar. On other phones I always used this method to remove the searchbar.

Calamityspice

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2018, 07:27:19 pm »
In daily use, mine has disappeared. A new screen has presented itself which renders the other unnecessary. if I swipe left, the bugger reoccurs.

Kisuke-CZE

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2018, 11:19:48 am »
Hi,

how did you maneged to remove that search bar?
I would like to remove that too. But no luck so far. It is apparently not widget.
Disabling Google app does not help (I want to disable it anyway) - After that search bar remains in position, but it is broken - does nothing.

I found this: https://forums.androidcentral.com/moto-z-mo...3-launcher.html
But it does not work for Gemini. The settings option is not here.

I would like to stick with stock launcher just because simplicity and not drain system resources by running two launchers (I know Apex is good, but I do not use it's advanced features anyway).

DJO

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2018, 01:42:00 pm »
Quote from: Calamityspice
A new screen has presented itself which renders the other unnecessary. if I swipe left, the bugger reoccurs.

You can add more panes to the right but the home pane (leftmost) seems to have the search bar nailed down.

To add another pane keep pressing an icon until the display changes and shows the panes then drag an icon to the right and it will create a new pane. This is ultra-fiddly because of the column of fixed icons which are shown on all panes but it'll work, eventually, if you're lucky. If all else fails sacrifice a goat to Baal and try again.

stfn

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2018, 03:08:57 pm »
I solved it by Installing Nova launcher. My favorite launcher for the past few years.

jornada720

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2018, 03:46:22 pm »
Changing to a third party launcher is definitely the way to go. Several are open source as well so you can be assured that they are not "phoning home" about your activities.

joepirello

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Google search bar on homepage - 5 icons wide. (1x5 widget)
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2018, 07:56:36 pm »
Nova Launcher. Done.