[notatoad]

This is not really an android flaw but a nexus one, because its default launcher is part of the google search app. On many android phones, the search box is a widget that can be swapped out with a widget from any other search provider or removed entirely.

[kuschku]

But this bar also appears on the "Recent Apps" menu, and can’t be changed there, at all.

You only get either the bar, or an error message, which says the Google App can not be found.