Google’s Discover Feed Now Includes X and Instagram Posts
▼ Summary
– Google’s Discover feed will soon include YouTube Shorts and posts from social platforms like Instagram and X alongside web articles.
– The Discover feed provides personalized content and AI-generated summaries based on user web activity, located on the Google app homescreen.
– Google plans to initially incorporate posts from a few social platforms but intends to add more in the future based on user research.
– Users can now customize their Discover feed by following creators or publishers to see more content from preferred sources.
– To access the customization feature, users must be signed into their Google account and can preview creators’ posts before following.
Your Google Discover feed is about to become significantly more dynamic. The platform is expanding beyond traditional web articles to integrate content from major social networks, bringing a richer, more personalized media experience directly to your mobile home screen.
In the near future, users can expect to see YouTube Shorts, Instagram posts, and updates from X seamlessly blended into their Discover recommendations. This update reflects Google’s ongoing effort to diversify the types of content shown, moving from text-heavy articles to a visually engaging mix of videos and social updates.
The Discover feed, accessible through the Google app, already uses your browsing history and interests to serve relevant information. Soon, it will also pull public posts from select social platforms, though the initial rollout includes only a handful. Google has indicated that additional networks will be incorporated over time, responding to user feedback that favored varied content formats.
Alongside these new sources, Google is introducing greater user control over the feed. Similar to recent updates in Google Search that let people select preferred news outlets, Discover now allows you to follow specific creators or publishers directly. If you come across content you enjoy, you can choose to see more from that source. A new preview feature even lets you glimpse a creator’s social posts and articles before deciding to follow them.
It’s important to note that accessing these new customization options requires being signed into your Google account. This ensures that your preferences are saved and your feed becomes increasingly tailored to your tastes.
This shift highlights Google’s strategy to keep users within its ecosystem by aggregating popular external content. Rather than switching between apps, people can now get a snapshot of trending videos, social updates, and articles all in one place. The expansion acknowledges the growing role of short-form video and social commentary in how people consume information daily.
While the initial integration focuses on a few platforms, the move suggests a broader ambition to become a central hub for digital content. For creators and publishers, this could mean increased visibility as their posts reach audiences beyond their own follower bases. For everyday users, it promises a more engaging and visually varied browsing experience right from the home screen.
(Source: The Verge)
