Android 13 Beta 3 adds web suggestions and search shortcuts to the Pixel Launcher

Android 13 reached Platform Stability with the release of the third beta yesterday, marking an important milestone as we inch closer to the stable release. All app-facing behavior and APIs are now final, and developers can start readying their apps for the final release of Android 13. As expected, the latest beta doesn’t bring a whole lot in terms of new features. In fact, Google’s announcement blog post didn’t even list what was new in the release, focusing mostly on developer stuff. But turns out there are a couple of interesting changes in Beta 3.

As spotted by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman, Android 13 Beta 3 adds a nifty feature to the Pixel Launcher that now lets users display web results in the search bar. You’ll find a new toggle called web suggestions in Pixel Launcher’s settings. When enabled, the search bar on the home screen and app drawer now shows web results based on what you type. Up until now, Pixel Launcher’s search bar could only surface app shortcuts, phone settings, contacts, conversations, and tips.

You can now get web results based on what you type. Only web suggestions that you select are saved in your search history. You can turn this off in Preferences.

Search settings are now available in Beta 3’s Pixel Launcher settings. Here, you can toggle “web suggestions” which will show web results when typing in the search bar on the home screen or app drawer. pic.twitter.com/5xy6y7qk9m

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 8, 2022

Web suggestions are enabled by default, but you can turn them off from Pixel Launcher’s home settings.

With Android 13 Beta 3, Pixel Launcher’s search bar also displays search shortcuts for Google, YouTube, Maps, Play Store, and Settings. These nifty shortcuts appear below web results when you enter something in the search bar.

To try out Pixel Launcher’s new search experience, you’ll need to download Android 13 Beta 3 on your Pixel phone.