Remove Google Search From Home Launcher In Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Already got your hands on a Galaxy Nexus? Well, chances are, you don’t like that there-by-default Google search bar at the top of the homescreen and are looking to remove it. There is a very simple method for this and you can check it out after the jump!

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The astonishingly simple method comes from richworks over on social news community Reddit. You just have to disable it from a well-hidden menu. Simply go to Settings > Apps > All > Google Search and disable it, that’s it. The bar will now be gone.

You need to keep a couple of things in mind, though. Firstly, removing the Google Search bar does not actually free up any screen real estate. Secondly, you do probably perform loads of searches using Google; removing the search bar from the homescreen means losing one-tap access and, well, you would have to open up the browser.

You may, then, not want to remove the search bar after all. But yes, the method is there for anyone who needs it.

Your only other option is to use a different launcher if you wish to make use of the extra screen real estate. This may be important for those of you who are running Ice Cream Sandwich on the Samsung Galaxy S which has a relatively smaller screen size.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was revealed at a recent Google/Samsung event alongside the Galaxy Nexus. It is the most significant update to Android yet, bringing some much-wanted features to the popular OS such as hardware acceleration, tabbed browsing with Chrome syncing, screen capture and, of course, a much more refined UI and UX. Response to the OS has been very positive so far.

Chances are you don’t have a Galaxy Nexus because of short supply and high demand. If you’ve got an older device like, say, the Galaxy S or Nexus S or even the HTC HD2, you can always flash one of those unstable ports (link embedded below).

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