Google Search Homepage Adds a 'Plus' Menu

After introducing an AI Mode shortcut earlier this year, Google has now added a new "plus" menu to its Search homepage, highlighting options for image and file uploads. 9to5Google reports: On google.com, the Search bar now has a plus icon at the far left that replaces the magnifying glass. Clicking lets you "Upload image" or "Upload file." It very much matches the AI Mode experience. Those two capabilities aren't new, but this plus menu does help emphasize that you can use Google to accomplish tasks, and not just find information. Additionally, it helps indicate that they can be used with AI Mode and AI Overviews. This is just available on desktop web (not mobile) and is live on all the devices we checked today, including across signed-out Incognito sessions.

Google helps me find information??

[ZERO1ZERO]

Since when? Google has been actively hiding information for years now. Ignoring big tech bros, the cynic says it beneficial for google for me not to be able to quickly find what i need. They rather i get âstuckâ(TM) on their page either re-searching or clicking through (the first page of results is mostly horsehit anyway) such as ads and ai and shopping etc. some might even say thats not even cynical, its just fact.

Re:

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

Now they don't need to hide it, they just distract you away from it with this new resource-hungry toy.

You're completely inside their world.

Finally, a dream come true.

Re:

[arglebargle_xiv]

No this is Google Plus. It's a new feature. Or at least it is to the kids who created it and can't remember far back enough.

Meh

[liqu1d]

Google doesn't really help you find information anymore unless you're looking to buy something...

Re:

[i kan reed]

And only if you're looking to buy it from one of their friends.

Less is a plus?

[Revek]

Plus more unrelated search results which is less.

I saw Google and Plus...

[dgatwood]

I saw Google and Plus [wikipedia.org] together and got momentarily excited. :-D

Re:

[martin-boundary]

Oh, crud! [wikipedia.org]

So in a few years...

[Quinn_Inuit]

...When Google kills this project, too, it will have killed off Google Plus twice.

Re: So in a few years...

[liqu1d]

Only a LLM can make two pluses a negative.

Re:

[mu22le]

Only a LLM can make two pluses a negative.

Yeah, right!

Re:

[martin-boundary]

I "C" what you did there!

Google search? Does anybody still use that?

[gweihir]

They became trash a few years back. Have never regretted dropping them.

Re:

[Fly Swatter]

Instead of dumping on them, list a few superior alternatives.

Re:

[Tony Isaac]

So now, instead of Google, you're using Bing. Yeah, if you use DuckDuckGo or Brave, you're using Bing. Good move.

A name for it?

[allo]

They could call it Google Plus.

Image Ctrl-V

[John Allsup]

Previously you had to engage image mode to do an image search. Now you can Ctrl-V an image into the normal search box.

The irony of 'search any image with google lens':

[Fly Swatter]

Drag the Google Doodle image from the same page into the drop box and the result is "Can't upload. Use an image in one of these formats: .jpg, .png, .bmp, .tif, or .webp" - because the doodle is a .gif ; There's short sighted then there's Google.