<\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \t\t Find exactly what you need in seconds<\/p>\n Android’s search has always been half-baked<\/p>\n Finding anything on Android still feels clunky<\/p>\n Android has never had a proper Spotlight or Raycast equivalent. That is, until I stumbled upon an app called Quick Search, and it completely changed how I use my phone.<\/p>\n The lack of a proper search app on Android has long been one of my biggest frustrations with the platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n The stock Google app is not up to the task, as it can’t search across installed apps, local files, and cloud services.<\/p>\n It’s meant to push you towards web search, not to quickly navigate your phone and the apps on it.<\/p>\n For a while, I relied on a third-party app called Pixel Search<\/a>. It delivered a better search experience than the stock Google app.<\/p>\n Still, it fell short of what I wanted: a true Spotlight-like tool for Android \u2014 one that could plug into my cloud services, surface app shortcuts, run quick calculations, and search across multiple services, all from a single bar.<\/p>\n Pixel Search nailed the basic search experience, but that’s about it. Quick Search is exactly that, filling the Spotlight void in the Android ecosystem.<\/p>\n Quick Search is the Spotlight equivalent for Android<\/p>\n A faster way to search and launch on Android<\/p>\n Quick Search helps you find things quickly. That’s irrespective of whether you’re looking for a file or app on your phone, a document in Google Drive, or an address on Google Maps.<\/p>\n From a single search bar, I can search through several apps and services at once. This alone offers a huge productivity boost and upgrade over the stock search experience on Android.<\/p>\n Like Spotlight and Raycast on Mac, Quick Search can appear as an overlay on top of an already open app. Then, I quickly type what I’m looking for and act on it \u2014 all without leaving the app I was already using.<\/p>\n You can use Quick Search as a universal search bar and be done with it. But that’s just scratching the surface of what the app can do.<\/p>\n My favorite feature is aliases. Think of them as short keywords that instantly trigger a specific search type or tool.<\/p>\n For example, I search for and share files from Google Drive multiple times a day.<\/p>\n In Quick Search, I mapped the “sd” alias to a Google Drive search. So, I tap the Quick Search icon, type sd followed by the file I am looking for, and press Enter. Quick Search will automatically open the Google Drive search results for the relevant search term.<\/p>\n This is exactly how I’ve set up Raycast on my Mac.<\/p>\n Likewise, for a Google Maps search, I type gm followed by the location I am looking for. Pressing Enter opens Google Maps with the search results.<\/p>\n Sometimes, I want to ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude a quick question. Instead of opening the right app, I can trigger it from Quick Search, jumping directly to the response window.<\/p>\n It goes beyond web search, too. When I need to message someone on WhatsApp, I don’t bother opening the app and scrolling through my chats.<\/p>\n Instead, I trigger Quick Search, type the person’s name, and tap the message icon next to their contact. That takes me straight into the WhatsApp conversation.<\/p>\n Then there are the built-in search tools. Right from Quick Search’s search bar, I can do quick calculations, convert time zones and currencies, all without opening a separate app.<\/p>\n It’s the thing that I constantly do on Raycast on Mac, and now I can do it on my phone.<\/p>\n Quick Search is flexible<\/p>\n But there’s a little effort up front<\/p>\n Similar to Raycast, Quick Search is extremely customizable. It supports Material You theming and comes with a handful of built-in themes.<\/p>\n There are multiple ways to quickly trigger the app: a home screen widget, a Quick Settings tile, or a home screen shortcut. You can even go all in and set it as the default launcher.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tGoogle Drive search is underrated \u2014 here’s how I use it like a pro
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