Pixel Launcher search is broken in Android 13’s latest release
Google tests out thebest new Android featureswith QPR Beta builds exclusive to Pixel phones. However, beta builds are test mules and sometimes, they have bugs. The newAndroid 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1is no different. It fixes problems with 5G connectivity and Bluetooth but also seems to include a bug triggered by the Pixel Launcher search, which makes the Pixel Launcher crash repeatedly, rendering nearly useless.
If you’re running Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2.1, tap the Search bar on the home screen and type out a query — say, the name of an installed app. Try scrolling through the results, and you’ll see the search query disappear the instant the keyboard collapses. Now, without closing the Pixel Search window, bring up the keyboard, enter another query, and try scrolling through the results. The bug should dump you right back on the home screen, as9to5Googlereports. Do it a few times and the Android system will throw an error message saying “Pixel Launcher keeps stopping.”
We could recreate the issue as seen above, but only on the QPR2 Beta 2.1. The initial report confirmed the bug did not exist on the Beta 1 build, but couldn’t test on Beta 2. Stable builds appear to be working fine, not exhibiting any signs of this issue.
We aren’t whining about how little time you have to choose a Search suggestion as much as the annoyance of typing your query twice. It may seem like an edge case, but encountering it in the wild could become frustrating quickly.
Unfortunately, Google has not acknowledged the issue or mentioned a potential solution. We just hope the attention this issue is receiving in the beta build will prompt Android developers to fix it with the next QPR beta build or an update to the Android System Intelligence app, which powers the launcher search.
Until then, you could useyour favorite web browseror the main Google app installed on your Pixel for searches. These are not impacted by the issue as they don’t rely on the Android System Intelligence component that seems to lead to the launcher crashes.
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