Google is still the king of search engines. Even though Bing has advanced by leaps and bounds, most users still prefer Google Search. Therefore, it can be irritating for the Google Search bar widget to disappear on the Android home screen.
Most likely, the Google Search widget has been deleted or removed from the home screen of your Android phone. This is easy to fix and there are other ways to add a Google search widget to the home screen or access Google Search features.
Let’s start.
1. Restore Google Search Widget
There are many reasons why the Google Search widget may disappear from the Android phone’s home screen. Accidental deletion, changing the theme, switching to a new launcher, or even a bug. Most launchers support this method, but yours may be a rare case.
Stage 1: Long press the home screen and select Add widget. You can view a list of widgets available for installed applications. Scroll a little to find the Google Search widget.
Step 2: Tap and hold the Search widget size of your choice and move it to place it on the home screen. The Google Search widget is available in multiple sizes and formats.
It’s also easy to reposition the Google Search widget later. Tap and hold again to move or resize. You can do the same with other widgets.
2. Install Google
Another way to fix the problem is to install the official Google app available in the Play Store. You can get the latest version from Google Play Store. You can use the Google app not only to search the web, but also to read customized news stories, Collections where you can find your favorite places, movies and pages, and a snapshot of your daily schedule from Google Calendar.
It comes with some useful widgets for your home screen like Audio Search to recognize Songs, Snapshot and Search. As we saw above, adding widgets is easy.
3. Use Google Assistant
Google Assistant is to Android what Siri is to iOS. The smart virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence can manage your phone, complete various tasks and answer any questions. You can also create routines to perform a set of tasks that you can pre-program to run at a specific time.
You can enable Google Assistant and use text or voice to search Google easily. It doesn’t even take up space on the home screen as you can use gestures to summon intelligent AI. Setting up gestures will depend on the Android launcher you are using.
4. Browser Search Widget
All popular browsers support Google Search engine. There are other options available, but Google remains king and every major browser supports it right out of the box. So, which browser do you use as your daily driver?
Mobile browser apps also offer widgets that you can place on the home screen. After setting the default search engine, you can use the widget to search the web directly from the home screen. Tapping the widget opens a search bar and the search results open in the browser app itself.
5. Different Search Engine
One of the few popular search engines is DuckDuckGo. These alternative search engines are also supported by all popular browsers, so you don’t have to worry. They are also available on multiple platforms, including desktop computers and smartphones. However, it may take some time to meet them.
Before switching to a different search engine, keep in mind that other search engine options offer different experience and links compared to Google Search.
Search Anything, Anytime, Anywhere
There is no doubt that Google is leading the race. You can use Google Search on other devices, but it’s not a solution. You want to search the web on your Android phone and you want to do it now. As discussed, there are other ways to summon the Google God. Opening a new browser tab and visiting Google.com will also work. While not intuitive, the information Google offers is still worth a few taps.
We do not recommend formatting the smartphone for such a trivial issue. One of the fixes mentioned above should work, and there are multiple ways to access Google Search. If you found another way, share the same with us in the comments section below.
Next: Like DuckDuckGo? Want to add it to your Chrome browser on Android as your default search engine? Click the link below to learn how to do it now.
