Google Experimenting With New Home For AI Mode History

Google is testing a modest yet significant tweak to its Search.google/google-app/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>flagship app, shining an accessibility spotlight on AI Mode history. Rather than bury AI Mode behind a tab of past conversations, early builds indicate there will be a shortcut in the top-left corner of the app’s home screen that gets you quickly to your AI history — a spot now occupied by Labs on Android.

This particular tweak isn’t working yet for some iOS users, and the change shows up in Android app version 16.50.55.sa.arm64 as an in-development interface. Should it ship, the update would simplify the process of returning to earlier AI threads — a more important workflow as Google leans into its Gemini-driven answers inside Search.

What’s Changing in the Google App’s AI Mode History

Now on Android, for at least some users, tapping through to AI Mode history requires hitting the big AI Mode button, then pressing the history icon in the top-right. The new method adds a discrete history entry to the top-left corner of the home screen — where the Labs shortcut used to live — and displays previous sessions in a smart, date-sorted list.

This is surface-level optimization at its finest: one less tap, improved discoverability, and a more accurate mental model of where AI conversations reside. It also follows the way users expect messaging-like threads to work, a pattern that has become table stakes across assistant products.

Why Surfacing AI Mode History Matters for Users

AI Mode alternates between classic Search and Gemini-powered conversation starters. For most of the tasks you do — trip planning, troubleshooting, or online research — progress unfolds over multiple sessions. Fast access to previous threads allows users to work on prompts they have developed in the past, see how they can improve them, reuse answers previously submitted, and pick up where they left off with a good start.

UX research backs this up. Operationally defined principles by Nielsen Norman Group focus more on visibility and recognition as opposed to recall, and having history overlap into the front works to lower cognitive loads and accelerate completion of tasks. In practical terms, that can translate to speedier iterations as you’re fine-tuning a spreadsheet formula, shopping around for parts on a list, or composing your response with linked sources.

There’s a growth angle too. Having the chat history literally a tap away tends to increase re-engagement. App analytics firms like StatCounter have found that mobile browsing outdoes desktop browsing globally; incorporating AI history into the main navigation of Google’s app meets users in a place they already scour.

The Direction Is Already Present on iOS for AI History

Some testers are already noticing that on iOS, the app highlights AI Mode history via a top-left shortcut, and it is being made more evident and consistent. A unified design could also lead to revamped assistant cards.

Google doesn’t always port UI changes immediately, often testing new features or adjustments to how they look on one platform before eventually bringing them to parity in your account. It’s likely the switch is going server-side when it comes.

As with usual Google app updates, availability could be staged. Even if the Labs button is still showing up for you on Android, it looks like the groundwork for this new location has been laid.

What Happens to Labs as AI History Moves to Home Screen

Labs has acted as Google’s on-ramp for experimental features, including early Search experiences. Shifting AI history to the home screen doesn’t really bury Labs; it just gets moved further down in the profile menu or another overflow area. This compares to previous cycles where Google promotes a feature out of Labs once it becomes essential to day-to-day use.

The message is clear: from experiment to default behavior, conversational AI has graduated in the Google app, and history plays an instrumental role in that evolution.

Privacy and Controls Remain Central to AI History

AI Mode history relies on Web & App Activity, which users can control in My Google Activity. You can stop all saving, or establish windows for auto-deletes — like every 3, 18, or 36 months — to maintain your level of comfort on data retention. Google’s help documentation discusses the impact this has on personalization and what information is saved.

A more prominent history shortcut might also nudge better privacy hygiene, as it would be easier to check, delete, or revisit sessions that contained sensitive queries.

What to Watch Next as Google Tests the New UI

This UI is still being tested, and Google’s product teams often experiment with workflows that never go on to have a wide release. But with iOS already showing the change and Android builds receiving the same treatment, it is a fair bet for an extended rollout.

If and when it shakes down, plan on AI Mode to be less of a feature toggle and more of a conversation hub — where your AI history is closer than ever at hand with just one tap.