Skip to main content

Google Discover loses topic bubbles for more compact feed

In the first major tweak since last September’s rebrand, Google Discover has removed the topic bubbles that appear above every card. This makes for a cleaner and more compact feed, with the tweak rolling out today.

Google this afternoon widely introduced an updated Discover that removes topic bubbles. This results in cards appearing stacked right on top of each other with minimal spacing. While squished, it does allow for slightly more stories per page in a look that harkens back to the original Feed design.

Topic bubbles helped identify what interest or subject Google was surfacing in the story below. At the left was Discover’s asterisk logo in the company’s four colors of red, blue, green, and yellow. Tapping would open a feed of more stories related to that topic.

As part of this change, Google has removed the overflow menu from the top-left corner to the lower-right, bumping aside the more/less indicator. Users here can still see the subject of a card, and access the menu to follow or ban a topic, hide cards, and block websites. Another change sees Discover move prompts like “In case you missed it” to just above a story’s headline.

As of Monday evening, this topic bubble-less Google Discover is widely rolled regardless of Google app version. This updated design is appearing as part of a server-side update in the Google app, Discover feed to the left of the Android homescreen, and google.com on the mobile web.

More about Google Discover:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

Comments

Author

Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com