Up is down and down is up in Android 17 Beta 1. The first iteration of Google’s Android 17 update brings back a familiar design in place of the Pixel Launcher’s immovable search bar.
Just two days after Google pulled back its scheduled Android 17 rollout, the company has officially made the update available to the public. The Android 17 Beta 1 update brings a few changes without overhauling the entire look of Google’s OS to the point of unrecognizability.
One aspect that did change is the Pixel Launcher search bar. The new version looks familiar because it’s based on a design the Google Search app used for its custom widget in Android 15. The two “search bars” are different: one is available across most Android devices, while the Pixel Launcher’s version is available only on the Pixel series.
The Pixel Launcher search bar recently underwent a redesign mirroring that of the Google Search widget in 2025 during an Android 16 update. On stable versions, the design has a Material You-inspired background with a search pill and an AI Mode shortcut.
Old vs. New
Android 17 Beta 1’s change regresses the search bar to a design that has no colorful backing. Rather, it’s a slightly transparent pill that offers a shortcut – AI Mode by default – and the standard Google Lens and voice search options.
The new design is custom, just like the old Google Search app widget. Its settings have changed somewhat, too. For instance, the Google Search app no longer offers a “Device” theming option. The “System” theme takes on the burden of adding Material You colors to the “G” logo with multiple hues, rather than a solid backing.
Transparency and color options seem to work on some of our devices running Android 17 Beat 1, but not all.
It’s unclear if this change will stay in place in Google’s Android 17 timeline. This regression feels very familiar to what Google did to the Pixel Launcher search function in the November 2025 Feature Drop. Instead of a Material You sheet sliding up from the bottom of the screen, the Google Search app experience was roped in, offering a dated experience. Google noted that a benefit of this new/old look was an easily accessible AI Mode.
The new Pixel Launcher search bar in this first beta iteration of Android 17 doesn’t look bad at all. It still feels like whiplash, though.
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