Krux
May 21, 2026
Google Search Now Accepts Videos and Chrome Tabs as Queries
Published: May 21, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Updated: May 21, 2026 at 12:24 AM
100-word summary
Google just upgraded the search box for the first time in 25 years. You can now throw text, images, files, videos, or even open Chrome tabs into Search and ask questions about all of it at once. The feature runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash and works globally on desktop and mobile. AI Mode, the conversational search experience, crossed 1 billion monthly users with queries doubling every quarter since launch. This summer, Google will let Pro and Ultra subscribers build custom dashboards and mini-apps directly in Search results. The era of typing keywords into a blank rectangle is officially over.
What happened
Google just upgraded the search box for the first time in 25 years. You can now throw text, images, files, videos, or even open Chrome tabs into Search and ask questions about all of it at once. The feature runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash and works globally on desktop and mobile. AI Mode, the conversational search experience, crossed 1 billion monthly users with queries doubling every quarter since launch. This summer, Google will let Pro and Ultra subscribers build custom dashboards and mini-apps directly in Search results.
Why it matters
The era of typing keywords into a blank rectangle is officially over.