The Google app now lets you pin a few categories to your home screen as icons

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September 30, 2017 at 01:29AM
Android Authority
Matt Adams

The Google app has seen a lot of updates so far this year. The familiar card layout has had some visual flair added to it and more and more content seems to be packed in every time you open it. Now, Google is making it a little bit easier to get to your favorite categories. Some users with Google App version 7.11 or 7.12 beta are now able to place icons on their home screen for the Dining, Entertainment, and Sports categories.

To add these icons, all you’ll need to do is swipe left to Google Now on the Pixel Launcher or open up the Google App. Once there, click on the desired category under the search bar. Somewhere in the list, you’ll be asked if you would like to add a shortcut to your home screen. If you’ve previously added a shortcut to Google’s weather forecast to your home screen, you’ll be familiar with the process.

So far, only three categories will query you. The Dining icon will perform a local search for restaurants around you, while the Entertainment and Sports icons take you back to those categories in the app. There isn’t anything necessarily special about the icons, they just return you to a category within the Google app. You can move them, put them in a folder, or delete them. I might keep them around because they make me more aware that I have options before scrolling endlessly through Reddit or Facebook.

If you’re not seeing the option to add them yet, don’t fret. It appears that not everyone with the latest Google App has the ability to add them just yet.  It looks like this is a server-side switch that Google has to throw. Once you have the ability, will you add them to your home screen? Let us know down in the comments.

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The Google app now lets you pin a few categories to your home screen as icons
Android Authority