TL;DR
- Code spotted in the latest Pixel Search app release suggests the expanded search app could officially come to older Pixels.
- While the code suggests that Pixel 6 and newer Pixels could be supported, the app still needs Android 17 QPR2 (Beta 5 or newer) to run.
- Android 17 QPR2 is expected to reach its stable milestone in December 2026, which is when Pixel Search could expand to older Pixels. However, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could miss out on the app as they won’t be updated to Android 17 QPR2.
Last month, we discovered that it was possible to sideload the Pixel Search app and use it on older Pixels, as long as you are using a recent Android 17 QPR2 beta build. This allows users of older Pixels to experience the expanded search app that debuted with the Pixel 11 series. We have now spotted more clues that indicate that Google is indeed planning to officially expand the Pixel Search app to older Pixels, potentially going as far back as the Pixel 6 series.
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