Removing google searchbar

Hi, it really doesn’t seem possible to remove the google searchbar from my homescreen on my FP3. What am i missing? How can i remove it?

This is actually bothering me a lot :-/

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I don’t know if it can be removed, but you can try to install a different launcher which doesn’t include a search bar.
If it’s also about the G00gle-App and the rest of the G00gle-Services as well, there will (hopefully) be a G00gle-free Android version in the future to replace Fairphone OS :slight_smile:

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Depending on the launcher, this should be possible to remove via the normal method. Only on Pixel Launcher it isn’t possible; then you just use a fork (Lawnchair) or another launcher. So with the stock launcher on Android 9 (default OS shipped with FP3) it should be possible with the conventional method.

As I don’t have a stock Android 9 with FP3 yet, I’ll have to recommend you look for one of these guides online or wait for someone else with a walkthrough.

(Pick one of the many articles from this DDG search query.)

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Same issue here, I already tried lots of different methods and I still have this search bar. It is just non-responsive as I deactivate google search, but still here.

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I wouldn’t go as far as calling this an issue.

@JeroenH is right. The launcher decides which of its features can be rearranged/removed/whatever and how.
There are tons of different launchers out there to accomodate almost every user need.

Seconded. I used that for quite a while myself. Highly configurable and does its job.

Here’s a topic for some inspiration …

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I got myself lawnchair, Problem solved, thank you :slight_smile:

Though I still think this is worth to be fixed by the developers. Google searchbar should not appear mandatory and require an extra app to be removed.

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There is no online bugtracker yet for the Fairphone 3’s Android 9, but …

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Which steps have you tried to remove it from the default launcher? Just because you failed at removing it, does not mean it is impossible.

2 posts were merged into an existing topic: FP3 : Fairphone Open OS?

I tried the usual step: long click on it, config of the launcher, try every options in parameters and finally deactivate Google search and all google product I was able to deactivate in Applications menu. The seachr bar is still there, but inactive.

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True. But imo i tried everything in all the settings, just like NicoM above. Plus, if it weren’t impossible, wouldn’t anyone here come up with a solution? :slight_smile:

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The number of people who have their Fairphone 3 already seems still very limited, especially among the forum regular techies who perhaps ordered one (don’t know, perhaps we should make a list) :slight_smile: .

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My answer is a bit out of topic, but we should be able to identify who got a FP3 just with profiles of the forum, but so far it is just FP1 or FP2 :wink:

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Look here:

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Just looked on the screen of GlassRat and found no search widget like my below one. I mean the “Suchen” and not the DuckDuckGo one:


How did you remove it?
I tried to remove (without root) Goo**e and succeeded also there but the white field “Suchen” can neither be removed nor shifted. It is also not possible to put the DuckDuckGo widget over this field.
Any idea?

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I’m using Nova launcher rather than the default launcher. No search bar by default.

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Lawnchair also solved my problem. Thanks!
Would be nice if no extra app is needed. On my tablet search bar can be completely removed without new launcher.

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I have the same problem,and I don’t wanna use Lawchair, just want to disable the bar?

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There are is no option to do this with the stock android launcher that Fairphone uses by default. This is also an issue on Google phones (see here for example), where the advice is the same: switch to a different launcher. If contracts with Google for the use of Android allow it, Fairphone could have chosen to include a different launcher by default, but that then of course would lead to cries of bloatware and non-standard features being included. If you do want the official android launcher, but without the search bar feature, the Google’s android team are the people to talk to (as any Fairphone changes here would mean it is no longer the stock launcher) - perhaps if there’s enough feedback Google will push an update that allows disabling the bar.

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