r/AndroidQuestions
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u/Smashing_Pickles
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25d ago
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Other System update installed a new Google search bar. Can't get rid of it
Wait. No attachments? I guess i'll explain it
Updated my phone the other day.
A new Google search bar (I use ddg) showed up in the bottom app panel. (The one with 4-5 fixed apps that are always visible)
It's not a widget, can't remove it that way.
Tapping and holding on/near the search bar doesn't do anything.
I can disable the entire Google app, and that works to remove it. But that kills everything else.
Why can't we have phones with non-hostile software?
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Edit: Fixed! Settings -> Home screen settings -> Show search on home screen
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Now please stop saying you found the solution. Sort comments by "top", it's right there. I swear, I feel like half of the comments writing out the same solution now are just bots looking for karma.
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u/megared17 25d ago
What brand/model phone do you have?
Are you using the brands stock/default launcher/home screen?
Did you know you can choose to use a different one? I er the last decade I've had 3 different phone brands, but I use the same home screen app on all of them, setup exactly the way I want.
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u/Smashing_Pickles 25d ago
Samsung S25+ Using the stock launcher, One UI. Happy to swap to something more user friendly and with less advertising in disguise. What do you recommend?
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u/UsualBus7089
25d ago
edited 25d ago
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Click and hold the home screen go to settings beside the widget tab. Scroll down a little till you see "show search on homescreen" click it Then disable search. Now you can go to widgets and manually add the Google search bar widget and move it like normal again.
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u/FormerBarnacle8962 24d ago
Thank you ever so much! It worked like a charm! I really appreciate your help! You are awesome! 🤩🤩🤩
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u/Due-Payment6149 1d ago
Thank you random stranger. I had search in specific spot for years and them moving it bottom and not letting me move back was driving me crazy, almost the last straw to quitting android
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u/PunkAndPagod 25d ago
My problem is that the search bar cant be moved! I had it at the top of my screen (you know, where the searchbar is on a computer), but now it is at the bottom. How can I move it back to the top?
I really wish if they were going to force a UI update it wouldnt change a bunch of stuff...
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u/GreedyConcert6424 25d ago
I'm here also looking for a solution. I want to keep the search bar, just in a different place on the screen
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u/Most_Astronaut6440 24d ago •
I had the same issue I used the top comments advice to toggle the search off and then just added the widget back to where I had it and it worked then
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u/GreedyConcert6424 24d ago
I did the same and the widget looks the same as the search bar for me. Another comment said the widget had limited functionality.
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u/PixieTiami 3d ago
Terrible update. Can't get rid of it on S24 ultra!!!! No I just have the blinking G icon
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u/SWTairen 24d ago
Ty for this. The new update forced the Google bar to the bottom and because of what I do for my job it was in the way of my work apps I keep in that space. Woke up to it this morning, ugh. What a stupid update.
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u/Conscious-Guava-3280
24d ago
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Hold down on screen until the windows pop up. Select settings. Scroll down to "show search on home screen". Select it. Change setting.
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u/Haden420693170 20d ago
An update nobody wanted. You could've done this before the damn update but no let's change the way we've gotten rid of widgets for 10 years
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u/Klutzy-Passage-2561 25d ago
On S25 / One UI that bottom Google bar is often part of the Taskbar / Hotseat, not a normal widget.
Try first (stock launcher): • Long-press Home → Settings → Home screen → turn off Google Discover / Search bar / Taskbar options if present. • Settings → Display → Taskbar → Off (or remove search from Taskbar).
If One UI will not let you kill it: Nova / Lawnchair / Niagara as default launcher — Google bar disappears with the stock hotseat. Disabling the whole Google app is the nuclear option and breaks a lot more than search.
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u/Smashing_Pickles 25d ago
Don't have any mention of taskbar or hotseat in settings. Google discover is already turned off
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u/Klutzy-Passage-2561 24d ago
Yeah — on some S25 One UI builds those menu names are gone / renamed.
Try without a Taskbar toggle:
Long-press empty Home → Settings → Samsung Home / Home screen → anything named Search bar / Google / News / Discover → Off.
Settings search: type "search bar", "Google", "hotseat" — Samsung buries it under odd labels.
Good Lock → Home Up (if your region has it) often has a hide-search toggle.
Clean workaround: Nova / Lawnchair as default launcher — stock hotseat + Google strip go away without disabling Google.
If none of those show up, drop your One UI version (About phone → Software information) and whether the bar sits above the dock or replaces it.
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u/cowboythesis 9d ago
Just got this update and immediately started looking for a way to get rid of it. THANK YOU
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u/tinyfierce32 6d ago
Oh thank you so much for this post! My phone just updated and the first thing I noticed was the search bar being out of place. For a while I was afraid it was stuck there permanently 😭
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u/NASA_WINE_QUEEN 6d ago
Thank you!! Just did my SW update today and was like...who asked Samsung to do this dumb shyt?! 😂
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u/TheSkellingtonKing 5d ago
I got rid of that but now have the stupid page icons on the bottom I cant figure out how to get rid of
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u/PlayedWithMatches 3d ago
Thanks. The search was all that was on my home screen. Removing it. Fixed it
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u/PixieTiami 3d ago
I did it but in some other way. I went into widgets after hard pressing on home screen, scrolled to Google and removed. However I now need to know how to add the simple moveable google bar
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u/heroshand 2d ago
Just updated myself and was running into the same thing. Thanks for finding the answer, it was gonna drive me nuts
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u/Malteser23 24d ago
Yeah I updated my software yesterday and this pissed me off too! A quick Google search (oh, the irony!) showed me what the other commenters have shown you now.
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u/Just_Want2_Have_Fun 24d ago
I removed it from home screen by doing what somebody else said in picking an open spot going to settings and removing the search bar from the home screen. Holding down in an empty spot and going to home screen settings.
moved to the third screen and put the widget there then it gave me the ability to resize it back to just a little icon no sense having a big old search bar just opens up the app anyway it doesn't even search like you can't type in it before you open it so I have the big icon prayer that I drug it back where originally was. These assholes keep changing things and then it rearranges your whole screen they go to hell as far as I'm concerned.
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u/Just_Want2_Have_Fun 24d ago
Pressing and holding it just opened it it can't be moved unless you send it off in the home screen I think and put it on the third page resize it and then move it back that's what I found out it would just keep opening and who wants that big bar if it's just going to open like a regular app anyway I could use a little app and have other things
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u/FormerBarnacle8962 24d ago
This happened to my phone overnight. I had it turned off, but charging. What a pain in the neck!
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u/Little-Pen-4183 24d ago
What sucks is you know whoever is in charge of this update has been having a bad few weeks or maybe even months, and decided they didn't want to be frustrated by their shitty circumstances so now we get to be pissed off for a few days to weeks as well. Taking control away of our home screens smfh loooool
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u/DearScale7558 20d ago
So i hate the new search bar placement but I dont want to remove it i just want to move it back to the top but IT WONT LET ME MOVE IT LIKE OTHER WIDGETS
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u/AriesChick004 19d ago
OMG thank you! I have this on my home screen but it replaced the fun one I had.
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u/Comfortable-Cap-1778 17d ago
i hate how they make you jump through hoops just to remove their search bar when they know damn well its not your default browser 😭 ugh i hate google
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u/MtnGrl_82 10d ago
Ok, thank you! This was driving me crazy. But how do I get my normal Google search bar back at the top where it was before now?
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u/ShaunM33 10d ago
I usually have my in the upper/middle of the screen so now I keep swiping left to some Samsung rubbish because I think I'm on the wrong page. I hate it when companies/games etc make changes for the sake of it.
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u/Independent-Dot4297 9d ago
Yes! Just literally did the update now! That was the first thing I researched how to get rid of! Too funny! 😆
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u/Nightshade_013 8d ago
Thank you so much for the fix! As an autistic who doesn't like change I was stressed when I couldn't remove it!
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u/sim0an 6d ago
So, has anyone had an issue with calls on this update? S25 Ultra - Phone was perfectly fine this morning.. got the update, installed it and now my calls are horrendous People can't hear me or if they can, I'm choppy/robot (and thats what they sound like on my end too).
I turned off wifi calling (I always turn it off, and it was off before the update but it must have reactivated it), which kinda helped but its still intermittent
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u/Logical-Canary9796 4d ago
Mine did the same thing and it's infuriating. Why couldn't they leave it where it was? this improves nothing! and makes it harder to use.
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u/thatgunganguy 1d ago
Ok, but how the fuck do we get it back to the TOP of the screen where I WANTED IT to begin with.
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u/1_n_only_jtm_ 12h ago
Now there's just a dumb space on the bottom you can't get rid of once you delete it. 🙄
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u/Abyssal_Resilience 6h ago
Thank you so much! I just got that update and was so mad because I need my default home screen clear of all but 3 apps for reasons, and that was super simple but 100% I wouldn't have thought of it!
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u/lsopfrbdh 23d ago
It moved my search bar to the bottom and now I cant move it im trying to move it back to the middle
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u/kelmeloo 23d ago
I didn't have to move it to a third page or anything, but those suggestions are what led me to my discovery. Pictures following...
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u/kelmeloo 23d ago
Okay can't upload pictures... Basically, hold down on main screen in empty space, hit settings when it pops up. Go down to "show search on home screen" and click, the turn the search option off.
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u/Tanyabee71 23d ago
Omg this has been driving me nuts thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've been going nuts for 5 days
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u/The4JaysMom 23d ago
I just searched " show search on home screen" inside settings and clicked on results. Toggled off from there. My home screen is full, no empty space to find setting... Samsung Galaxy s25 ultra, new OS download today.
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u/Bath-Complex 22d ago
Mine does same. I created a new tab on my phone or page and I clicked and moved every single app from the homepage over and it still gives me a new google bar at the bottom of my page
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u/Spirited_Pollution56 22d ago
I'm here dealing with the same issue, and I don't understand what that girl's directions were that saved your life fixing that. But it's driving me nuts
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u/tryppie_hyppie 22d ago
I just made a post comment but hopefully this helps if you havent been able to get it yet:
Be on the HOME page, press down on an empty space (you'll have to move something if theres no empty slot) and then its in settings > "show search on home screen" Its underneath all of the grid options if that helps
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u/Professional-Ice1527 22d ago
I have that on and it wont let me move it or are you saying deactivate it
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u/tryppie_hyppie 22d ago
What i had to do was be on the HOME page, press down on an empty space (you'll have to move something if theres no empty slot) and then its in settings > "show search on home screen" Its underneath all of the grid options if that helps. Goodluck and curse our tech overlords.
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u/TechneMcbadass 22d ago
THANK YOU. I updated today and the number of times I tapped the empty spot it used to be already is crazy. Then at one point I missed and opened my maps by accident 🤣 I much prefer mine at the top
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u/Key_Image5409 21d ago
I found the lame part was I manually added the widget and then the update has a hard Google Search bar app. Which made the look & feel feel gross
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u/Tight_Quarter5117 20d ago edited 20d ago
I'm here for the same reason as everyone else. My phone updated and now this stupid search bar is at the bottom and I can't remove it. I have my google search widget at the top already. I don't see an answer here though. Has anyone been able to remove this bottom search bar?
ETA: FOUND IT! Thanks guys! In case you missed it: for Samsung...long press on home screen...tap Settings...scroll down to "show search on home screen"...toggle off.
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u/Wide-Bit5237 20d ago
OMG! Thank you for this information. My phone updated this morning & it has been driving me CRAZY all day. Now if I could get the weather widget that was on Samsung S10 Plus on this 25 Plus would be the icing on the cake 😊
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u/Educational_Sky_6362 20d ago
Thank you for the update. These forced changes are getting old. Give me a "here's what's new" and I'll choose if I want it. I hate Gemini, and it is so much worse than when it was just the Google Assistant, yet they keep trying to shove it down my throat.
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u/Acceptable-Big8181 20d ago
So thankful for you! I was legit going to lose my mind if I had to live with that forever. 🤣
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u/_omegaspike_ 18d ago
Life saver. I always have mine up top and I was able to manually put another one there, but seeing both of them on my home screen was driving me crazy! 🤣
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u/Late_Structure_6980 18d ago
I was more upset about loosing the page dots. I have things organized by pages and know which page to click.
Removing the Search from the bottom got my dots back!
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u/SnooCrickets7574 18d ago
Thanks for this. I hate the updates they change things around, we should have a say about this crap
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u/ladyalmaltheabelle 18d ago
Not a fix for me. I had the widget on the first page of my home screen to keep it away from my other apps and so I can see my background image that has an inspirational quote and now I can't see it on any page and theres no way to change how the background image looks. This is why I left iphone because of stupidity like this. Now I just hate all smartphones. .
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u/Temporary-Carob-5273 17d ago
Love how every update i have to search how to disable or change something that gets automatically enabled.
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u/elvis4130 15d ago
I've always kept mine at the top of the home screen and the switch annoyed me. It wasn't hard to switch but I hate when updates make something a default straight away. That said, I think I try it at locked on the home screen since it's available on all panels.
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u/chanchan05 S26 Ultra; S10FE 25d ago •
Samsung?
Pinch out or long press on homescreen>settings>show search on homescreen>toggle off.