Universal Smart Search

Key Launcher features a dedicated Smart Search Bar powered by a full-screen Search Overlay. Unlike the home screen T9 keyboard which is optimized for quick dialing and filtering, the Smart Search Bar is designed for complex keyboard inputs, system configuration queries, files, and external fallbacks using your device's standard QWERTY virtual keyboard.

Triggering the Smart Search Bar

You can summon the Smart Search Overlay instantly using these methods:

1. Swipe Down Gesture: Swipe downwards anywhere on the home screen (if the swipe-down gesture is set to open search in settings).
2. All Apps Screen Search Button: Swipe up to open the app drawer and tap the Search (search) icon in the top-right corner.
3. Voice Search: Tap the Microphone (mic) icon inside the search bar to trigger Android's native speech-to-text recognizer.

Multi-source Search Capabilities

When you type a query into the Smart Search Bar, Key Launcher dynamically searches across multiple local and system indexes simultaneously. Results are grouped under clear section headers — Apps, Shortcuts, Folders, then settings, files, contacts, and the Web / Play Store fallbacks — so you can scan straight to the type of result you need:

1. Apps, Shortcuts & Folders

• Searches through your installed applications (by app label or package name).
• Finds matching Android system shortcuts (e.g., specific WhatsApp chat shortcuts, browser bookmarks).
• Filters and locates app folders by folder title.

2. Built-in Calculator

Type mathematical expressions directly into the search bar (e.g., (12+8)*5/2):

• Supports standard operators: +, -, *, /, % (modulo), ^ (power), and parentheses ( ).
• An overlay card displays the computed result in real-time.
• Tap the result card to instantly copy the output to your device clipboard.

calculate Prefer a real keypad? Enable Calculator Mode and long-press * on the home screen to turn the T9 keyboard into a full calculator.

3. Settings Search

Quickly find settings screens without digging through menu trees:

• System Settings: Type keywords like wifi, bluetooth, battery, display, or apps to trigger deep-link action cards that launch Android system pages directly.
• Launcher Settings: Search for Key Launcher custom preferences (e.g., searching "haptic", "theme", or "lunar" to jump directly into the launcher's configurations).

4. Scoped File Search

Find local files by typing a portion of their name:

• Queries the Android MediaStore database for images, videos, audio tracks, and document files.
• Privacy & Compliance: Key Launcher does not request storage permissions on startup. Media permissions are requested lazily only when you perform a file search for the first time.
• Tapping a file result opens it in your device's default viewer.

5. Contacts Search

Find and act on contacts directly from the search bar:

• Type names or phone numbers to retrieve matching contacts in real-time.
• Similar to files, READ_CONTACTS permission is requested lazily only when you query contacts.

Empty Search State (History & Recents)

When you open the Smart Search Overlay and the search bar is empty, it acts as a quick-access dashboard:

• Search History: Displays a horizontal list of your recent search terms. Tap any term to re-search it, or tap Clear to wipe your history.
• Recent Apps: Shows a grid of your most recently opened or newly installed apps for instant relaunching.

Web & Play Store Fallbacks

If your search query doesn't match any local apps or contacts, fallback buttons appear at the bottom:

• Search Web for "query": Opens your default browser to search the web via Google.
• Search Play Store for "query": Launches the Google Play Store with your search query pre-filled.