Google Updates: Unveiling the New Voice Search Design

Google has quietly started updating the voice search experience inside the Play Store. Until now, whenever you tapped the mic icon, you were greeted with a simple pop-up box. That pop-up carried the Google logo, a pulsating mic animation, the phrase “Try saying something,” and your selected language.

It worked fine, but the design was starting to feel dated. Now, with Play Store version 44.7.24-31, Google is testing a cleaner and more modern design—though it only shows up in one part of the app for now.

Instead of a floating box, the updated voice search now opens as a bottom sheet. At the very top, you’ll see the word “Listening…” followed by a drawing of a person speaking and the Google Assistant logo.

This small shift makes the interface look more in line with Google’s Material You design language. It feels less cramped than the old pop-up and puts the focus on your actual search request.

So far, this redesigned UI of Google Voice Search only appears when you activate voice search from the Search tab. If you try it anywhere else in the Play Store, you’ll still get the old interface. That suggests Google may still be experimenting before rolling it out more broadly.

One useful addition to the new Google Voice Search interface is the search history feature. At the bottom of the sheet, you’ll now see up to your last four most recent searches. With this, revisiting something you have previously searched for becomes easier.

This new feature will be more practical especially to users who usually search for the same apps, games or tools on regular basis. Even though this change may be small, it should be enough to improve usability.

There has not been any official announcement from Google regarding this Google Voice Search redesign; this could be because the company is still testing it. The company could also rollout gradually to allow time for tweaks before widely rolling out. At the moment, few users will be able to see the new interface.