Last April, we reported that the new Chromebook Productivity Launcher had the ability to organize your apps and search results into categories to avoid information overload. Traditionally, searching with the “All” button returns a wall of results that, although they appear in order, are not grouped or separated in any meaningful way. It was simply a demonstration of Google’s operating system’s immaturity in this area, but the developers have been working hard to make improvements.
Now, a new developer flag on the Chrome OS Canary channel that automates this process on your behalf is finally implemented by default, indicating that the completely redesigned Chromebook launcher could be closer to public release. “Launcher categorical search” previously had to be manually enabled, and even when it was, categorization in the launcher lacked styling and functionality. It was a simple implementation that we were ready to work on, but today I’m happy to report that it looks and feels great!
Search by launcher category
Launcher search results grouped by categories – Chrome OS
#categorical-search
As you can see in the video above, searching for any item in the new Windows Start-style launcher yields results that are parsed into “categories.” By that, I simply mean that they appear under text headings that separate them into chunks based on result type for easy viewing and selection.
It’s a cool feature, and I’m glad to see it finally come to fruition. I had the impression, based on my previous preview of the flag, that it would work more like the start button in Windows 10 or 11, with clickable filters for each type of result – web, files, apps, etc. . – but this is clearly not the case. the case.
It’s simple and effective and allowed me to quickly locate items that were important to me, but I miss the larger icons that appeared in search. Unfortunately, Chrome OS got rid of them before this new categorization, opting instead for smaller, left-aligned icons. It’s cleaner and more professional, but less noticeable, that’s for sure.
I’m still thrilled that you all have this new Chromebook Launcher in your hands on the out-of-the-box experience for your devices, and I truly believe we’re getting closer and closer to that day. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Productivity Launcher experience – whether an optional or forced replacement for the current full-screen launcher – soon after the new year.
Obviously, there are still some things for the devs to sort out, like each category showing “Best Match” instead of presenting an appropriate title, but everything is still sorted correctly otherwise. Let me know if you like this method or categorize apps and results during your search, or if you think it would be better another way. If you are using the beta version of Chrome OS, let me know if this flag is now available for you. In the meantime, check out all of our other coverage on the new Productivity Launcher!
