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Google confirmed with The Verge that it’s testing a new personalized Discover feed for Google.com users.
MSPowerUser spotted the change, reporting that a select number of users are seeing a Discover Feed — filled with personalized suggestions based on their activities — on their Google.com homepage.
The Google Discover feed isn’t new
The Google Discover feed, as MSPowerUser pointed out, was introduced to mobile phones years ago. You can find it on the home screen of some Android devices (if you scroll to the left) and it’s also displayed underneath the search field in Google’s mobile app.
Google Discover populates content based on users’ interests, which are assessed from their web and app activity.
However, it looks like Google wants to bring the Discover feed to the Google.com desktop experience. According to a screenshot from MSPowerUser, the desktop version of Google Discover will suggest news recommendations, populate share prices, offer weather forecasts, and showcase sports scores.
MsPowerUser screenshot of Google Discover feed testing
Credit: MSPowerUser
This isn’t the first time that Google tested a Discover desktop experience. Last August, 9to5Google reported that the search engine giant was experimenting with a Discover-like UI. However, instead of using a feed format, the interface rolled out information in cards stacked horizontally.
Last year, Google was testing a card-like Discover Feed UI
Credit: 9to5Google
It’s worth noting that Bing, one of Google’s rivals, also has a homepage feed that populates top stories, weather, advertisements, and more.
“Unlike Google, Bing allows its users to customize their homepage and choose whether or not to enable the news feed,” MSPowerUser said.
Personally, I like Google.com‘s current clean and minimalist interface.
My current Google.com homepage
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Looking at the screenshots, the experimental Discover feeds look too busy for my tastes — and I am not a fan of visual clutter. Plus, I’m prone to getting distracted too easily. I can see myself typing in “Google.com” to input a search query, but getting sidetracked by a news headline or a share price.
Fortunately, the desktop Discover feed is still in testing, but if the search engine giant decides to roll out it out, it would be a significant change. As The Verge points out, “[Google.com] continues to be the world’s most visited website.”
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Google
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