The End Of Compulsory Home Screen Widgets

This would be a first, and seems to come after there were issues with Google’s decision to place two items, the At a Glance widget and the search bar permanently on the home screen.

Until recently both were compulsory and couldn’t be removed. Since Android has historically emphasized customer choice from the beginning, this seemed surprising.

When Android 16 arrived, there was finally an option to remove At a Glance and allow that screen real estate to be used for other purposes.

Android 17 QPR1 Beta Leaks Reveal New Toggle

Now, a screen recording shared by Mystic Leaks on Telegram and picked up by 9to5Google, it seems that Android 17 may make the search bar optional — a slightly radical choice for a company whose entire history began with search.

“Mystic Leaks shared a screen recording from what appears to be a leaked build of Android 17 QPR1’s stable release – given the timeline at play here, this is all subject to change. With that in mind, this build shows a new toggle that allows users to easily turn off the search bar on the Pixel Launcher,” 9to5Google explained.

“Well, we are just as shocked as you are, and honestly, we can't believe it either... but Google is finally adopting a long-requested feature from its user base. We are talking about the ability to remove and customize the infamous Google Search Bar on the home screen,” Mystic Leaks commented.

Matching iPhone Customization Standards

While infamous seems like putting it strongly, it’s true that not everyone wanted to have the search bar there. Home screens have become increasingly customizable in recent years — Apple’s switch to remove the need for app icons to sit in rows with no spaces between is an example from iOS.

The change is not definite yet, but the stable release for Android 17 QPR1 is expected to land in June 2026.