Newsletter
The folks at 9to5Google have noticed some similarities between the Google News Following Tab and the Google Search Discovery feature. In a previous update to the Google News app, users were able to customize their following tab to their taste. This update lets users customize their news feeds by picking what publications they like, as well as what topics appeal to them.
Similarly to this update, the Google Search Discovery feature also gives users the content they wish to see. It does this by letting users control what news content gets to them with the help of the “Manage Your Interest” settings. From this settings option, users can let Google know what topics they have an interest in, and they can also block content from certain publications.
This gives users control over how they access news and what news content comes their way. For professionals, this is very important, as it helps them to focus on what matters to them. For a while, Google News didn’t give users the ability to select what content appealed to them, as they needed to shuffle through available news.
The Google News Following Tab is making the app more usable to a lot of people
For users like 9to5Google’s Abner Li, Google News was a no-go area when sourcing news. This is because of the busy layout of customizable content on the following tab. Instead, these users opt to source news on social media platforms like X, where they can follow their new sources.
There is always a need to keep a strict watch on the type of news you access online as a professional. The launch of Google’s For You tab a few years ago made finding news articles easier for users. Even though this update was an impressive improvement at its time, it didn’t give users a certain level of control accessibility.
In addition to giving users control over their news sources, the update uses AI to source what users might like. It figures this out from the type of news the user reads on the app regularly. But the following feature this previous update brought didn’t have all the sauce that users were looking for.
However, a few months ago, the Google News app got an update that users have been waiting for. Now, just like the Google Search Discovery feature, the Following Tab arranges news articles in an easy-to-access manner. With three cards for publications, topics, and cities, users can easily glance over the content they follow. Each card contains three articles on the said topics that users can tap to expand.
Google News users (on Android devices) around the world are getting access to the new Following feed. With this, they can better access content that appeals to them and they follow. Users of iOS devices and on the web will get the update in the coming weeks.