Pixel Launcher Teardown Points to Location-Based App Suggestions

The publication said it examined version C.8.playstore.pixel11.993387747 of Android System Intelligence and found a small change to text that seems to reference a new factor in how Android generates app suggestions. Google has not announced the change, and Android Authority said it has so far seen only the revised wording, not any corresponding back-end work that would actually alter how suggestions are produced.

App suggestions were introduced with Android 11 and appear as a row at the bottom of the Pixel home screen or at the top of the app drawer when the feature is enabled. Google's Home settings screen, where the feature can be toggled on or off, states that "App suggestions are based on your recently used apps, most-used apps, and routines." The company has not publicly detailed how the suggestions are generated beyond that description.

According to Android Authority, the revised text does not simply add location to the list of factors. It replaces "routines." The publication noted that this could make sense in some cases, offering the example of a person who takes an Uber home from a yoga class every Friday at 6pm, where a suggestion based on location might work as well as one based on time. Until now, Android Authority said, it had seen nothing to indicate that Google looks at location data when suggesting apps.

Android Authority said it remains unclear what exactly is changing, and that further updates in the software or a public announcement from Google would answer some of its questions about the feature.