The Google app on your iPhone just got a hidden new feature

By Bryan M. Wolfe Updated July 15, 2024

iPhone display showing Google image in black on white — Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Here’s some exciting news for users of the Google Search app on iPhone and iPad. According to 9to5Google, you can now personalize the home screen icon of the Google Search app to reflect your mood better.

The traditional Google app icon features red, yellow, blue, and green on a white background. However, you can now customize it to have a dark background or opt for a black icon on a white background or a white icon on a black background.

To make the change, download the latest Google Search app update from the App Store. Once you’re running the latest app version, customizing the icon is easy. Tap your profile image at the top right of the app, then select Settings, followed by General, then Change app icon. This is rolled out as part of version 324.0 of the Google app.

Changes you can make to the Google Search app on iPhone and iPad. — Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

In May, we shared information about a new feature in the Google app for Android phones. This feature adds a Notifications option at the bottom, displaying a continuous list of alerts from Google Search, weather conditions, flight information, sports scores, movies and TV shows, and more.

That same month, we explained how to remove AI features from Google Search. Using the filter option makes it possible to display only traditional text-based links. Like any other filter, this eliminates non-web elements like images, videos, and AI Overviews.

Customizing the appearance of the Google Search app on iPhone is undoubtedly a minor tweak, but it’s still a nice feature. You can download the Google Search app on the App Store.

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Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

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