Hey, Android users, have you noticed something a little different about your Google Search widget as of late? No, you’re not losing your mind. The search engine is indeed making a few tweaks. For a few users, it would appear that Google is testing out a new look for its search history drop down, changing up one of the most recognizable features of Android devices. For years, we’ve been accustomed to seeing recent searches in the format of a few stacked lines. But now, times are a-changin’.
Now, instead of stacking each historical search, Google is introducing a more compact and space-efficient interface. Furthermore, the arrow that once appeared next to search terms has disappeared — you know, the one that lets you re-search a term or set of terms quickly. That said, you can still remove search terms just as easily. Nothing has changed there — just hold to delete potentially embarrassing facets of your Google history.
If you’re not one of the users Google is testing this new feature upon, you can still access the new format. Simply enter a space in the Google Search widget before you start typing, then delete those characters. Once they’ve been deleted, you should have access to the new search history format. The main draw, perhaps, is that you’ll be able to see more of your history in the same amount of space. So if your memory isn’t what it used to be, Google’s got you covered.
It looks as though the feature has been around for around a month now (a Reddit user pointed it out initially), and it looks like Google may soon make it the default. So if you’ve been waiting for a less cluttered way to access your search history, this may be the answer to all your hopes and dreams.
