Brave Browser gets rid of 3x1 search widget on Android following recent update

Users woke up this week to find their favorite search bar widget missing from Brave’s Android app. The small 3×1 search box that many relied on suddenly vanished after installing version 1.79.118. Instead of the simple bar that fit neatly on home screens, only two bulkier widgets now appear. These larger options include extra icons for voice search, private mode, and image search, forcing users to give up the minimal setup they had grown used to. 

Before this change, Brave offered five widget styles to choose from. Among them was the 3×1 search widget, prized for its clean look and ease of use. It allowed people to tap their home screen and start browsing instantly. But with the latest update, that widget disappeared. Users found that when they tried to add a widget, the 3×1 option no longer showed up.

Of course, whenever there are changes, we also see plenty of requests to revert those changes. It’s the same case here. On the Brave Community, one user said, “This is unacceptable! I rely on that search bar heavily. I am amazed that you would eliminate it like that. Bring it back or I find another browser.” Another poster on Reddit noticed that the new “Quick action search widget” could not be resized neatly, and complained that it “forces extra doodads with voice, incognito, and image icons.” 

Then there are even complaints about the removal on GitHub with one user saying, “The minimum size for the new search widget is 4×1. I’ve used a 3×1 search widget for years with various browsers. Please bring back this option. There’s no good reason to deny users customisability.”

The removal was confirmed in Brave’s GitHub tracker. A developer explained that the 3×1 widget was deliberately removed because Brave has its own search widget that “provides more details than what we inherit from Chromium.” The issue, opened on April 22 and closed as completed on April 23, notes that the change leaves just two widgets: the Quick action search widget and the bookmark widget. While this was intended to streamline choices, many users feel it actually diminishes flexibility and have voiced their dissatisfaction.

For now, there is no sign that Brave plans to restore the 3×1 widget. Although community moderators say feedback has been forwarded to the team, no timeline for a reversal has been given. In the meantime, some users are leaning on third-party tools like KWGT to rebuild a compact search bar, and others are weighing a switch to browsers that still offer a simple, minimal search widget on Android.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the change in the comments below.

Featured image credit: u/RadioPeanut / Reddit