Google voice redesign merges AI Mode, Search Live, & Song lookup on Android

Google is redesigning the voice search button on Android, adding a bottom toolbar with Search, AI Mode, Search Live, and Song Search options, similar to Google Lens. The redesign, spotted in the Google app beta, remembers the user's last mode and defaults to Search or AI Mode. The update is not yet widely rolled out.

The voice search button accessible from the Google bar found on most Android homescreens is getting a big redesign. In the previous design introduced earlier this year https://9to5google.com/2026/01/19/google-voice-search-redesign-android/ , tapping the four-color microphone in the Google widget or inside the Google app would just transcribe your query for a regular Search. There’s also a Song Search shortcut. Old vs. new This big revamp takes after Google Lens’s Search, Translate, Live, and Create switcher by adding a toolbar at the bottom of the screen that lets you go between Search, AI Mode, Search Live, and Song Search. Search features a new four-bar waveform, with a transcription appearing at the top as you speak. Once you’re done with your AI Mode query, tap the next arrow, while the stop button at the left takes you to a Search box with a transcript to make further edits. Search Live offers the same back-and-forth conversational experience, while Song Search is unchanged. Of note is how Google will remember what you last used and default to Search or AI Mode. This voice search redesign is not yet widely rolled out, and we’re only seeing it with the Google app beta. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. https://9to5mac.com/about/ affiliate our homepage http://9to5google.com/ for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on exclusive stories https://9to5google.com/feature/exclusive/ , reviews https://9to5google.com/guides/reviews/ , how-tos https://9to5google.com/guides/how-to/ , and subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/9to5google