Most of the time, you’re probably dependent on your social media to get your news articles. But there are apps out there that can give you the news that’s relevant to you just like Google’s Discover feed. Google has been constantly experimenting with this by testing and introducing new features to make the experience better for its users. We don’t know if this new one that they’re testing is something we actually need but it’s there nevertheless. Some users are now seeing a likes counter so you can see how many people have “hearted” that particular article.
The Discover feed, formerly known as Google Now and then Google Feed can be accessed on the Google Home app or on your Google app or on Google.com browser as well as when you swipe right from your home screen if your device supports this. You get updates and news articles on topics that you’ve told Google you’re interested in based on your web activity, location history, and location settings. Obviously, you have to give Google permissions to get this data.
One other thing that Google seems to be using now to determine the algorithm on your Discover feed is the likes counter which shows you what other people have been liking or hearting as well. Previously, Google rolled out a heart button so you could like the articles that come across your Discover feed, signaling you want more of that content. They must be looking at whether or not seeing a like counter will influence you to consume content or not.
Android Central says this is a feature that no one has been asking for but it may also be helpful to some users or determining the algorithm of our Discover feeds. In any case, Google seems to still be testing this as not all users are seeing a like counter on their feed, just the same ole heart icon and share button. They may be trying to see if this will make you interact more with that heart button.
If ever they do decide to bring this to all users, it will most likely take some time to arrive. The like button took six months to roll out to everyone so we may see this come to more users by the early part of 2021.
