The Google Search widget gives you quick access to Google’s Search feature and your Discover feed, along with Voice Search and Google Lens functionality. But you can extract even more value from it using a simple trick.

Add a New Shortcut Button to Your Google Search Widget

Google offers the ability to add a new shortcut to the Search widget on devices using version 16.3.34 or newer ofthe Google app.

you’re able to check what version of the Google app you have by going intoSettings > Apps > Google. If you’re using an older version,update the app from the Play Store.

Once done, adding a shortcut button to your Google Search widget is easy:

When you select an action, you may preview how it appears on the widget in the preview pane at the top of the screen.

With the new shortcut button added, it should appear on the Google Search widget on your phone’s home screen. To use it, tap the shortcut button—the third button from the right. Depending on the action you’ve assigned to this button, it’ll take you to the appropriate screen, where you can view information or perform an action appropriately.

If you wish to remove the shortcut button at any point, you may do so from the Google app settings. Just head back to theCustomize Search widgetpage and tapNone.

You’ll also see aResetbutton in the top-right corner. Tapping it sets the shortcut button to the previously assigned action.

Is Adding Another Shortcut to the Google Search Widget Useful?

A shortcut gives you quick and easy access to features hidden behind various menu options and screens. The same holds for the new shortcut button on the Google Search widget, which puts some nifty shortcuts you may use in everyday life a tap away on your home screen.

For example, it’s cricket season in my country, so I’ve set the shortcut button on my Google Search widget to the Sports action and configured the league and team I follow appropriately.

Now, anytime I need to know my team’s latest score, I tap the shortcut button in the Search widget, and it takes me directly to the live score page.

If you aren’t into sports, though, there are a few other useful actions, too. If you’re in school or college, you can benefit from Google’s Homework action to seek answers to your homework problems.

Similarly, the Translate (text) and Translate (camera) actions are handy. Those using Google Finance to track their current or potential investments can add the Finance action for easy access.

There’s Room for Improvement

Offering users a way to unlock more functionality from the Search widget is a nice move. However, the widget experience still needs some improvements.

For one, Google has limited the shortcuts to just eight actions. I hope Google adds support for more actions to cater to the needs of even more users.

Secondly, as things currently stand, the new shortcut button isn’t useful on Pixel phones since they already have a Search widget on the home screen. Unfortunately, you can’t add the new shortcut to this widget, nor can you remove it.

The only way to use the feature is to add another Search widget to the home screen. However, doing so will leave you with two Search widgets, which isn’t ideal.