What is App Spotlight? Why Everyone is Talking about it?
The App Spotlight is the default universal search feature on Android phones. The app was adapted from iPhones to Android that helps the user to search for apps or settings. Also, App Spotlight can be used to perform several other tasks easily on Android.
The spotlight feature on your smartphone allows you to perform several actions, and search for apps and settings easily. The feature was introduced to iPhones and later adapted to Android phones.
Know more about app spotlight. What is it? What is it used for? What does the spotlight actually mean? And as an Android user, how can you take advantage of the App Spotlight feature on your Android smartphones? Let’s find the answers.
What is Spotlight App?
Let’s start with an introduction to Spotlight App on Android. What is Spotlight App?
Spotlight App is a search tool or utility on smartphone that let users search for specific apps, settings or features on the device without toggling to the menu and apps.
It also provides functions such as currency conversion, web search, etc. It is the handiest tool in smartphones.
What Does Spotlight Mean?
Spotlight is referred to as Google and iPhone is called Spotlight itself. Google relies on google assistant for performing tasks. You can also use the spotlight as an assistant to assist you.
On Android, Spotlight is referred as a universal search that allows users to search for the apps, settings, features etc on the device using the search feature.
What are the functions of App Spotlight?
The spotlight feature comes in handy on many occasions. It saves time and hassle when searching for apps or other tasks. It is one of the most anticipated tools.
Let’s see the various interesting features of the Spotlight App on Android one by one:
Search with Spotlight
This is the most helpful feature of the app spotlight on Android. The feature allows you to find the app on the device with a few taps. In addition, you can also search the web, settings, email, and contacts as well.
Check weather and news
This is the unique feature on Spotlight exclusively available for Android smartphones only. You can get the details of current weather by typing weather in the Google search box.
If the location is turned ON, The weather of your region will be displayed. You can also get the Current temperature, humidity, etc.
Similarly, typing the term “News” in the spotlight search bar will display all the news based on your interest and location.
Create Remainder
The spotlight app also comes in handy while setting a reminder or alarm on Android. Rather than going to the clock app and selecting reminder options.
You can directly search ‘reminder’ on the search bar to open and set a reminder.
Launch an app
Unlike the traditional process to open an app by opening the app drawer using and looking for the app in the list. You can directly slide down the spotlight search bar and type the name of the app.
You will find the name of the app in the suggestion right after you have keyed in a few letters of the app in the first place.
The feature comes in handy especially when you have lots of apps installed on your device and you need to open one of them.
Call or message a Contact
The Spotlight not only lets you pull the contacts, but it also, lets you call or send a message to the number with a few taps without reaching contacts or messaging app.
Just type [contact name] and press Enter. You can also send an email to your friends or family.
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Play Music or Video
We often need to open media apps like Spotify or Youtube and other apps to play music or video on Android. But, with the spotlight app, you can easily play out music and videos of your choice. Not only that, but you can also play other media.
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Map an Address
With Google or Spotlight app, you don’t need to go a long way to find addresses on maps. With the help of google assistant, the map will be displayed in the home itself.
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How to use App Spotlight?
There is a separate command for every function or task you want to execute by spotlight. For example, to call a number you need to say “call [contact name]” and the Spotlight will place the call automatically.
Similarly, you can say the song name to play the song.
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What Are The Benefits of Using App Spotlight?
By now you already know about the feature of Spotlight and how to use Spotlight to perform several tasks on Android. Now, let’s know some advantages and disadvantages of Spotlight on Android.
Here is the advantage and disadvantages of the Spotlight App on Android.
Advantages Of Spotlight:
- Quick and easy way to find needed applications
- Browse through featured apps and top charts
- Easy to start using an app immediately
- Great way to discover new applications you may not have otherwise found
- Can save time and money by helping you find the right app for your needs
- Helps avoid downloading unnecessary applications
- Helps keep your device organized by allowing quick access to needed apps
- Helps conserve battery life by only displaying apps when searched for
- Helps stay up-to-date on the latest app updates and discoveries
- Free service is available to all iPhone and Android users.
Disadvantages Of Spotlight:
- Can be a distraction and time-waster if used excessively or for non-productive purposes
- May not always accurately display or prioritize search results
- Limited to searching for apps and certain types of content, not a comprehensive search tool
- Can be confusing or overwhelming for some users, especially those who are not tech-savvy
- Requires internet connectivity to work effectively, may not work well in areas with poor network coverage
- This may raise privacy concerns as it collects user data to personalize search results
- May not be available on older or less powerful devices, limiting access for some users
- Can drain device battery if used excessively or for long periods of time.
Does Spotlight use Google?
Does Spotlight use Google? Well, the answer is subjective. For example, if you search for the app, contact or music stored locally on the device, then no Spotlight doesn’t need Google.
For navigation or web search, Spotlight uses Google as the default search engine.
Does My Android Have Spotlight Search?
This functionality remains with Google Now. To use; Click the Google Search widget or open Google Now. Search for something on your phone.
A contact, an app, an album from Google Music(discontinued). There will be a section in the search results called “Phone search” that shows the hits from your device.
How to Download Spotlight App on Your Android?
All Android phones running on the latest Android 10 and later have the Spotlight feature built-in. Alternatively, you can download the Spotlight app from Google play store as well.
- Open Google Play Store on Android.
- Search for App search+ and download.
Download Spotlight App on Android
Does Android have a universal search?
Yes, almost all the latest Android phones have a universal search feature also called Spotlight.
To help create a consistent search experience for users, Android provides a search framework that helps you implement a search for your application.
To access universal search on your Android device, simply open the Google app and tap the search bar.
Can I delete Spotlight app?
Like several other apps on Android, you can also delete, uninstall or disable the Spotlight app easily.
How Do I Turn Off Spotlight On Android?
To turn off Spotlight on Android, you’ll need to go into your phone’s settings and disable the feature. Here’s how:
1. Open your phone’s settings.
2. Tap on the “Search” or “Google” tab.
3. Tap on the “Spotlight” option.
4. Toggle the “Spotlight” switch to the “Off” position.
That’s all there is to it! Once you’ve turned off Spotlight, your phone will no longer display suggested content when you perform a search.
How do I find hidden apps on Android?
Here are a couple of ways to discover hidden apps on Android devices:
- Check the device’s settings to look for hidden or installed apps.
- Utilize a third-party app scanner to scan and detect any concealed apps.
How to Find Hidden Apps on Android Phones
Does Spotlight save searches?
No, Spotlight doesn’t save searches performed by the user on the Android phone.
Is There A Way To Tell If My Phone Has A Virus?
There are ways you can use to know if your Android has a virus. One of the methods is to watch the activity and power consumption of the device. Device turning off randomly or unusually pop-up ads may be a sign of a potential virus on your Android.
There are other several methods to know if Android has a virus. You can also check for unusual or unexpected behavior by running a virus scan. If a virus scan finds a virus on your phone, then your phone probably has a virus.
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Final Words:
Spotlight is a search service app available on both iOS and Android that offers features such as app search, calculator, currency conversion, weather updates, news, reminders, and media playback.
While the app spotlight on iOS is better than that on Android, an additional app called App Search+ is available for free on the Play Store. To use Spotlight on Android, you can download App Search+ or simply use Google, which is the Android version of Spotlight.
The app can be used to search for apps, contacts, and email messages, create reminders, play media, and more. Some harmful Android apps include UC Browser, Truecaller, and Virus Cleaner.
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