Samsung One UI 9 May Let Galaxy Users Pick Google or Finder Search on the Home Screen
Samsung could be giving Galaxy users a small but genuinely useful choice in One UI 9: what search button actually lives on your home screen.
According to details spotted in leaked One UI 9 builds, Samsung appears to be working on a setting that lets users choose between Finder and Google as the search service shown on the home screen. Based on the discovered strings and related graphics, the options may include showing only Finder, only Google, both services, or none at all.
That sounds minor, but for anyone using a Samsung phone every day — especially in Malaysia where Galaxy devices are everywhere from student pockets to office desks — this could clean up one of Android’s most annoying little overlaps.
Finder or Google? Different jobs, bro
Samsung already made a move in this direction with One UI 8.5, which launched alongside the Galaxy S26 series. In that update, the old “S Finder” branding was simplified to Finder, and Samsung gave it a more visible home screen role. Finder also gained semantic search, meaning it can help look through on-device content in a more natural way.
Think of it like this: Finder is for searching stuff already inside your phone — photos, contacts, files, apps, and other local content. If you have thousands of WhatsApp images, screenshots of Shopee receipts, class notes, cosplay references, or gaming clips sitting in your gallery, a smarter phone-level search can save time.
Google, on the other hand, is likely aimed at web search. Android Authority notes that it is not yet clear exactly what the Google option will launch. It could behave like the Google search bar on Pixel phones, opening the Google app so users can start a search immediately. Since One UI already supports the regular Google search widget, this may sound like duplication, but the implementation could be deeper if Samsung builds it into the launcher itself.
Why Malaysian Galaxy users should care
For Malaysian and SEA users, this is the kind of quality-of-life setting that matters more than it looks on paper. A lot of us use our phones as everything devices: banking, Grab, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, WhatsApp groups, school files, work PDFs, anime screenshots, game guides, and random Marketplace listings all mixed together.
If Samsung lets users put Finder and Google side by side, the home screen becomes more practical: one search for your phone, one search for the internet. If you prefer a cleaner layout, being able to remove both is also nice. Not everyone wants another search bar eating space on their wallpaper.
It also gives Samsung more flexibility against Google’s Pixel Launcher. Pixel phones lean heavily into Google Search as a core home screen feature. Samsung has always preferred doing its own thing with One UI, so offering both choices could be a smart middle ground instead of forcing users into one workflow.
Still not confirmed yet
Important caveat: this is based on leaked One UI 9 code, not an official Samsung announcement. Features found in early builds can change, disappear, or arrive later than expected. One UI 8.5 itself is still waiting for wider stable rollout across more Samsung phones and tablets, so One UI 9 is not something most users will touch immediately.
Still, this is a promising sign. More control over the home screen is always welcome, especially when the choice actually affects daily phone use. If Samsung really ships Finder, Google, both, or neither as proper options, Galaxy users will get a cleaner way to decide how search fits into their setup.
Source: Android Authority
