Google is experimenting with a homepage that does not include a Search button.

      Google is experimenting with a homepage that lacks a Search button. A limited number of signed-out users are seeing three AI shortcuts instead, while the standard layout reappears once they log in. Search Engine Watch identified the modification on Monday and was able to replicate it using Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Perplexity’s Comet browser. Beneath the search bar are three buttons: Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm.

      The AI Mode button is located within the search box. "I'm feeling lucky" remains intact, as it has during all previous redesigns.

      The button requesting a login is notable. Out of the three shortcuts, two do not require an account at all. Ask about files allows users to upload documents and receive answers about them, while Brainstorm initiates a conversation with Gemini. Create images, however, requires a sign-in, making it the only one of the trio with this restriction.

      Neither source has provided an explanation, and Google has not clarified why this difference exists. The simplest inference is related to cost; interpreting a user-provided file is inexpensive, whereas generating images with Nano Banana is more costly.

      Search Engine Watch also observed the opposite effect: the three shortcuts disappear upon signing in, then reappear when signing out.

      The extent of this testing is unclear. Android Authority reported on the discovery but could not replicate it. Taylor Kerns tested various browsers and VPN locations, consistently encountering the old homepage. This is typical for an A/B test, and it's also the limit of current understanding; factors like location, browser, and session all seem to be significant. Google has not confirmed the scope of the test or whether it will be implemented widely.

      Digital Trends covered the story on the same day, with Shikhar Mehrotra issuing a similar warning: the modifications are being shown to a specific group of logged-out users, not all of them.

      The choice of testing signed-out visitors appears intentional. A signed-out user is the least familiar to Google and is likely to be exploring alternatives. Comet is one of the browsers where the new layout was observed; this browser is central to a shopping ruling against Amazon, concerning agents acting on behalf of a user inside another's storefront.

      Search faces similar pressures; publishers have noted a decline in referral traffic as AI responses dominate the top of search results, negatively impacting the open web.

      What an A/B test does not indicate is a finalized product decision. Google conducts thousands of such tests, and most of what is tested does not reach a broader audience. The company has clear reasons to keep the search box unchanged; the ten blue links fund nearly all other operations, and analysts have been questioning for two years whether this dominance is starting to weaken.

      Logins constitute another significant factor here. Google has intensified efforts for account verification across its services, including a selfie video check for account recovery.

      The homepage is Google’s most conservative interface and has undergone minimal change over the past twenty years. Thus, removing a single button is noteworthy, even if only a small group of users can see it. Whether those users will retain this new layout is something that remains unknown to those outside Google.