Google appears to be reshaping the front door of its mobile app around AI. Search Engine Roundtable reported on October 15 that a redesigned search bar is showing up for some users, with a plus icon and the prompt “Ask Google” where “Search” used to appear.
The bar is also white instead of gray, thinner, and positioned higher on the page. Akshay Gangwar (AssembleDebug) spotted the change and shared it on X and Android Authority, saying the plus opens uploads, the Nano Banana image tool, and AI Mode. Barry Schwartz has not seen the design yet, so the rollout looks limited for now.
Treat this as a test, not a launch. Google has not announced the design, and tests of this kind often change or disappear. The wording still matters: a bar that invites questions and file uploads, rather than keywords, nudges people toward AI Mode. Teams tracking mobile app discovery should watch whether the plus menu changes query behavior.
Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, October 15, 2026.
