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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Google is introducing several personalization updates.
- You can now describe what you want in your Discover feed.
- Discover will update immediately and remember what you said.
Google has a new way to make sure you see exactly what you want in your Discover feed.
The search giant announced three personalization upgrades this week:
- A "Preferred Sources" button that publishers can embed on sites that lets readers follow that publisher without leaving the page
- Customizable daily audio briefings by topic in the Google News app
- A chat interface that lets you describe exactly what you want to see in your Discover feed using natural language.
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The latter caught my eye, because it finally gives you much greater control over your Discover page than ever before.
How Google builds your Discover page
Google's Discover page, which is the Search page and list of articles you see when you open the Google or Chrome app on your Android phone, is entirely algorithm-based. The pages you visit, the terms you search, and even cross-ecosystem activity like the videos you watch on YouTube all play a part.
To date, there've been limited options for customizing your Discover feed. You can tell Google that you want to see less content like that, say that you're not interested in that content at all, heart an article to show interest, or block a certain publisher entirely.
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My Discover feed is usually pretty accurate, but I will often see articles I have zero interest in. I don't bother telling Google that, though, because it feels insignificant to turn off.
How Google is giving you control over Discover
Soon, Google explains, you'll be able to tap any three-dot menu in your feed and describe to the chat the exact topics or links you want to see or skip. You might say something like, "Show me long-form content and deep dives about smart home tech, but skip the product news and press releases," or "Give me Pixel phone setup tips and hidden features, but only for the Pixel 11 Pro XL," or "Give me cookie baking recipes and tips, but skip anything that's gluten-free or sugar-free."
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Google says that your feed will adjust immediately and remember your requests. The feature is arriving "in the coming days" on the Google app, so you should see it soon if you don't already.