this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2024
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Imagine needing to use a Google search app... Cellphones are a mistake
This is the integrated search on the home screen of my android (pixel). For a lot of mobile phone users, it's the fastest way to search something. I can just Google search directly from the home screen instead of opening up a browser.
yeah, but I really wish I could change the browser/search engine it uses. pretty fucked up that I can't. literally the only reason I use Google search/chrome is the convenience of that search bar (which I know is the reason I can't change it)
I changed mine. Also it's a widget, you can just take it off your phone screen and add the Firefox one of you want, or whichever you please.
You can change it on other launchers.
Personally I like neolauncher.
https://github.com/NeoApplications/Neo-Launcher The search bar can be set to immediately directly open Firefox search, or you can pick form a list of various engines.
There's a dozen other launchers to try. Lawnchair is a more popular choice, probably better for someone switching from pixel default. There's a few very specific features it's missing for me.
If you search Lemmy for "Nova Launcher" you'll find some threads listing a dozen alternatives due to nova's downfall.
Yeah but this requires you to use an entirely different launcher which has its own caveats...
I'm not aware of major downsides to using a different luncher.
The biggest incovience is initial setup and putting your home screen apps back where they belong.
Spend a few hours to escape to some of google bloat and set your search bar to use Firefox (which has ublock support).
You can if you are in the EU.
Google just says fuck you to everyone else because they get away with anti-competitive practices.
fuck google. I wish I didn't like pixel phones as much as I do :(
I seem to remember that pixels are some of the easiest phones to put a different os on.
yeah I know, but I am really in love with the notification/status bar of PixelOS (I know it's android but it's custom android)
And now I wish I was in the EU, at least so that Big Tech doesn't shit on me repeatedly.
You might check out the Lawnchair launcher, that aims to replicate the Pixel launcher, but FOSS and more cuatomizable. You can set the search app up with any browser on that.
firefox can do the same with any other search engine, it has a search widget
Duck duck go
For the stock launcher, yeah. Alternatives are a dime a dozen.
For a huge number of phones it's a requirement because Google and Android do not allow you to customize or change this aspect of the device.
Unless you're in the European Union in which you get the right to.
Fuck Google.
I still rely on it for the Google Assistant, possibly the only Google related thing I still use that isn't YouTube.
And no, I'm not switching to Gemini.