For the past several months, Google has been experimenting with a redesign to the Google Feed. Following reports last week of a rebrand, Google today confirmed that it’s now called “Google Discover” and is coming to the mobile web, along with a slew of other new features.
Renamed to Discover, this feed of articles and content related to your interests is gaining new topic headers that allow for more exploration. Launched last year, Google notes that it is used by 800 million users every month.
Featuring an eight-pointed star in the Google colors, users will be able to tap that icon to view a collection of related articles and follow. To improve customization of content, you will be able to tap a control icon in the bottom-right corner of every card, with options to see “More” or “Less” of that subject.
Meanwhile, more types of content will appear in Google Discover, including videos and other “fresh visual content.” Notably older articles and videos will also appear, with Google noting that this “evergreen” content will be “new to you,” but not necessarily to the web.
For example, when you’re planning your next trip, Discover might show an article with the best places to eat or sights to see. Suddenly, a travel article published three months ago is timely for you.
Google is also doubling down on Discover as a way to pick up a new hobby, or explore an existing interest. Specifically, Google will be able to infer your level of expertise on a topic and tailor content accordingly. To aid in this, cards will also appear in Search results
Using the Topic Layer in the Knowledge Graph, Discover can predict your level of expertise on a topic and help you further develop those interests. If you’re learning to play guitar, for example, you might see beginner content about learning chords. If you’re already a skilled musician, you may see a video on more advanced techniques.
Similar to Assistant on Home last month, Google Discover supports multilingual content, with articles from English and Spanish sources appearing simultaneously. This feature will be available in more countries and language moving forward.
However, the most significant change today is that Discover now appears on the mobile Google home page. Scrolling down below the search box on the infamously utilitarian page will present a feed of articles exactly like on Android.
Think of it as your new mobile homepage where you can not only search, but also discover useful, relevant information and inspiration from across the web for the topics you care about most. This will be rolling out over the next few weeks.
Google announced these changes and more at an event in San Francisco today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding.
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