Google Search app on Android faces crashes in widespread bug
Key Points:
- Google Search app crashes repeatedly on Android devices.
- The issue affects various versions of Android, including 15 and 14.
- Google Assistant, Lens, and Chrome remain functional as temporary solutions.
A significant number of Android users experienced continuous crashes with the Google Search app over the weekend. The issue occurs when users try to open the app, causing it to stop unexpectedly and return to the home screen. This bug has affected users across multiple versions of Android, including the latest Android 15 and 14.
When attempting to use the Google Search bar widget, users noticed that their past searches briefly appeared before the app crashed again. While the Pixel Launcher search bar allows local device searches, any internet query leads to a brief loading screen followed by a crash. Other features like Google Discover, which is accessible from the left of the home screen, and Voice Search also stop working due to this bug.
The bug seems to affect both the stable version (15.35) and the beta version (15.36) of the Google app, and it persists in older versions as well. Despite this issue, Google Assistant, Gemini, Google Lens, and Google.com accessed via Chrome continue to work normally. This makes them viable workarounds for users facing difficulties.
No other Google services or platforms, such as YouTube, Drive, or Docs, have been affected, which points to this being a Google Search app-specific issue on Android. Though this incident draws comparisons to the WebView bug from 2021, only the Google app appears to be affected at this time.
Google is expected to address this issue soon, given its widespread impact on Android users. For now, using Chrome for search and other voice assistant functionalities remain practical alternatives.