If you have an Android phone or use the Google app on iPhone or iPad, you've probably found the Google Discover feed. But do you take full advantage of this feature to see content relevant to your interests?
Let's take a look at Google Discover, the Google Cards it offers, how to customize it to your interests, and more.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a feature of the Google app on Android and iOS that provides a source of content relevant to your interests. Unsurprisingly, Google takes advantage of the information it knows about you.
For example, it checks your Gmail and Google calendar for important events and uses search history to find what interests you. The service also takes your location into account to calculate driving times and suggest local events. Other Google services, such as YouTube, also play a role.
Like many Google products, Discover has undergone several name changes. The feature was first known as Google Now, which debuted in 2012. It gave you information in the form of Google Now cards.
For example, if you ordered a package and received a tracking number in your Gmail account, Google Now would provide your tracking information on a card without you having to search for it. Other Google cards included reminders about upcoming appointments, easy access to airline boarding passes, and much more.
Over time, Google kept the feature active, but slowly stopped calling it Google Now in favor of "Google Feed." Google currently refers to it as "Google Discover." Also, Google Assistant is in many ways a successor to Google Now, which only supports basic voice commands.
How to access Google Discover
The Google app is installed by default on virtually all Android devices, and you probably have it on your iPhone or iPad as well. If you don't already have it, install it from Google Play or App Store, then sign in with your Google account.
To check out Google Discover, simply open the Google app, as Discover should be enabled by default. If you're running Android on certain devices, you can swipe right on the home screen as a shortcut.
Below the search bar at the top, you'll see a list of Google cards in the Discover tab (Android) or Home (iOS) Each contains a link to an article that Google thinks you'll be interested in. This is based on what you Google, watch on YouTube, and other factors.
On Android, you will also see a Updates tongue. Here, you'll see information similar to what Google Now used to offer. Includes cards showing travel time to your scheduled appointments, tomorrow's weather, upcoming bills and flights, and the like.
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Adjust what Google Discover shows you
Are the suggestions in Google Discover clashing with your real interests? Let's take a look at how to adjust them for best results.
Give feedback on existing cards
The best way to start tweaking what Google Discover brings up is to tell the service what you think about existing material. You can use the buttons at the bottom right of each card to do this.
First, press the three dot button on the right side of a card. In that menu, you will see the general theme at the top. Continue to subscribe to updates about it. You can choose Hide this story if you no longer want to see it.
The following is a I'm not interested in: select this to see fewer stories about the topic in question. If you don't like the source of the article, tap Do not show stories of.. to avoid it in the future.
On any card, you can also touch the slider icon next to the three-dot button. With this, you can tell Google Discover that you want to see stories More o Less often on that topic.
Add or remove interests
There is one more item in the three-point menu that is quite useful: Manage interests. Here you can see what Google thinks you're interested in and unfollow topics you don't want to see.
After touching Manage interests, then Your interests to view a list of topics you have followed. Tap the blue checkmark to unfollow anything you're no longer interested in.
Then scroll down and you will see another section below Based on your activity. This shows topics that Google thinks you're interested in based on your activity. If you want to follow any of these topics, touch the More button to do it. You can also select the symbol Decreased to hide topics you don't want to see.
back to the page Interests, select Hidden to see the topics you've chosen to avoid in Google Discover. Tap on the icon Less to display a topic and return to view stories about it.
Check your Google activity settings
Since Google uses your Activity History to populate Discover, it's a good idea to check your settings there. To do so, open the Google app, tap More, and choose Your data in the search.
On this page, you'll see your recent search activity, if it's turned on. Scroll down and tap Web and app activity. If you have this feature disabled, you can turn it on here and choose to include Chrome data and voice recordings, if you wish.
Turning this off will prevent Google from recording what you search for, which can make Discover less useful. Below, you'll find similar controls for your YouTube location and history.
If you need to adjust your data in Google to get more relevant Discover recommendations, see how to delete your Google account history. doHow do I remove previous Google searches from history??
Use incognito in the future
It's annoying to start seeing stories about a topic you don't care about, just because you looked it up once. To avoid this, consider using incognito windows (or other browsers where you're not logged into Google) for one-time searches.
For example, let's say you and a friend are discussing the first movie Brad Pitt was in. You want to know this information, but you don't want to start seeing stories about him on Discover all the time. A quick search in incognito mode will allow you to figure this out without linking the interest to your Google account.
How to disable Google Discover
Don't want to use Google Discover? You can turn off the feature so that the Google app goes back to being a simple search bar. To do this, open the Google app and tap the tab More In the bottom right. choose configurations, then General admission. Find the Discover field and turn off the slider to disable this feature.
While you're here, you can also change some quick options for Discover. Enable Data saver (Android only) and Discover will not update as often. You can also change Automatic preview of video to play on Wi-Fi only or disable them entirely.
Combining Google Discover and the Google Assistant
Google Discover cards are useful for showing you articles and information that interest you without having to search for it yourself. It's a worthy successor to Google Now and gets even better when you customize it, as we've shown.
In addition to Google Cards, you shouldn't forget Google Assistant, which has a lot to offer you with voice commands, routines, app integration, and much more. If you haven't used the Assistant on your device yet, see ¿what can i do with google assistant? Google's voice assistant.