Google started rolling out the Android 12 QPR3 beta 3 updates to the Pixel 4 and newer Pixel phones early this month, ahead of June’s Feature Drop. It polished the battery widget experience and fixed some existing bugs in previous versions, including several issues that could hamper connectivity and call quality and an issue where some Pixel 6 Pro screens flashed a white line after waking up. However, some users with the software downloaded are now experiencing a Pixel Launcher bug that prevents them from searching for apps installed on their device.
The folks at 9to5Google report that the issue causes most applications not to appear when searched from the Pixel Launcher’s app drawer. In most instances, even typing the app’s full name fails to bring it up. According to the report, the issue affects pre-installed apps, third-party downloads, and apps from the Play Store. Currently, apps with shortcuts that match your query seem to be the only ones appearing in search results.
Meanwhile, the issue is limited to searches within the app drawer as searching within Settings and Pixel Tips both work fine. There’s no permanent fix, but a reboot appears to get your launcher functioning. If you’re a diehard fan of app search and restarting your phone doesn't seem to fix the problem, you can look up apps in Settings and launch them with the App info page. Although, you’re probably better off navigating the grid of icons in your app drawer to find what you need.
The problem doesn’t seem limited to devices running Android 12 QPR3 beta 3. 9to5Google reports that some users have also reported it on the stable release of Android 12. Bugs are pretty standard (expected even) in pre-release software, but most are usually addressed before the update rolls out widely. Hence, we hope this problem will be fixed before the stable QPR3 release arrives next month.