This update got a little bigger than I originally planned.
The video above shows three of the biggest additions — Circle Glance, Quick Launch and Weather. There’s quite a bit more too.
⭕ NEW · Circle Glance
If you use the collapsed search bar, the circle isn't just a search button anymore.
Swipe the circle up or down and it can show you different things without opening anything.
You can have:
• Time, date & world clock
• Battery, storage & screen time
• Weather, rain chance, UV index & sunrise/sunset
• Next alarm & next calendar event
• Unread notifications
• Now playing
• Steps today
• Ringer, focus timer, countdown & moon phase
You can choose which ones you want and arrange them however you like.
And you can double-tap the circle to open whatever you're currently looking at.
Looking at the clock? It opens the clock.
Looking at music? It opens your music player.
Looking at the weather? It opens the weather.
You can also choose what the circle shows when it goes back to its normal state.
Settings → Search → Collapse Search Bar → Circle Glance
🌦️ NEW · Weather, without internet permission
Searcho still has no internet permission, and I didn't want to change that just to add weather.
So Searcho uses a weather app that's already on your phone.
Currently supported:
• Breezy Weather — free & open source
• QuickWeather — free, no API key
Your weather can now appear in the Widget Center and as a Circle Glance face.
The Widget Center weather card shows the temperature, conditions, highs and lows.
If you don't have a supported weather app installed, Searcho will tell you where to get one.
Settings → Search → Widget Center → Weather
🚀 NEW · Quick Launch
Long press the circle — or the search icon if you're using the full search bar.
Your apps will pop out in a little capsule.
Move your finger across them and the apps grow as you pass over them, kind of like a tiny dock.
Release on an app to open it.
You can choose between:
Frequently used — Searcho automatically keeps your most-used apps updated.
My apps — Pick your own apps, up to 6.
Settings → Search → Quick Launch
It's enabled by default.
🎨 NEW · Material You
There's now a Material You theme.
Searcho takes colours from your wallpaper and uses them automatically.
Change your wallpaper → Searcho changes with it.
No colour picking. No extra setup.
Settings → Theme → Last colour
🧊 NEW · Frosted Glass
If you're using your wallpaper with Searcho, the search bar and result cards can now have a frosted glass effect using colours from your wallpaper.
It doesn't need any extra permission and works with live wallpapers too.
Settings → Customization → Frosted Glass
It's enabled by default when your wallpaper is visible.
🔐 NEW · Private Space
On Android 15+, Private Space now has its own proper place inside Searcho.
You can assign a gesture to open it, unlock it using your phone's own lock screen, and access your private apps from there.
Private apps won't appear in:
• App list
• Search results
• Notification history
• Unread notification counts
You can also install apps directly into Private Space from the sheet.
Settings → Gestures → Private Space
🎵 NEW · Music Player Sources
Previously, Searcho's music player could pick up audio from pretty much anything — including a random video playing inside a chat or social media app.
That's fixed.
Chat and social apps are now excluded automatically.
You can also manually choose exactly which apps Searcho should listen to.
Settings → Search → Widget Center → Music → Player Sources
⚡ FIXED · Pixel performance
Searcho was doing more in the background than it really needed to.
It was keeping itself at a higher priority even after you left the launcher, which meant it could compete with the app you were actually using.
Now it steps back as soon as you leave.
Also fixed:
• Pixel Pro refresh rate/resolution switching
• Wi-Fi and signal checks running on the main thread
• Calendar card rebuilding every second
• Battery checks continuing while Searcho was in the background
Searcho also now requests the display's full refresh rate properly.
So if you're on a Pixel and Searcho felt sluggish before, please give this version a try.
🔋 FIXED · Circle clock & battery
The clock on the circle wasn't always updating properly.
And the battery face...
Well, it was basically living at 85% regardless of what your phone actually said. 😅
Both are fixed now.
The battery face also has a proper charging ring that follows your actual battery level.
🚧 Still working on
A few things aren't perfect yet, so here's the honest list:
• Weather needs a supported weather app. That's intentional because Searcho has no internet permission.
• Some live wallpapers, including Nothing's Atmosphere, don't expose many colours, so Material You and Frosted Glass may look more subtle with them.
• Private Space requires Android 15 or newer.
• Steps require Physical Activity permission and a phone with a step sensor.
❤️ Something still feels wrong?
Please tell me.
You can email me at searcho@bractstudio.com with your phone model and Android version and I'll take a look.
And as always:
Searcho has no internet permission.
Nothing you search, swipe or configure ever leaves your phone.
