Google's Discover feed will now show social media posts and YouTube Shorts from creators you follow
Google has announced a new update for its Discover feed that the company claims will make it easier to "explore content from your favorite voices and publishers, wherever they post."
It will now act as a repository for all the information you are interested in, expanding beyond articles to show you posts from social media platforms such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and X.
Google's research team said people "enjoyed seeing a mix of content in Discover, including videos and social posts, in addition to articles."
You will also be able to follow publishers and content creators on the feed, allowing readers to see previews of their posts, like articles, YouTube videos, and social media posts. This is in addition to the recently added feature letting you choose your preferred news sources.
Google says it will continue to add more ways "for people to connect directly with the publishers and creators they love in Discover."
An experimental new Google Search app for Windows
Google is also launching an experimental new native app for Windows, which will allow you to search for anything without needing to open up a browser. You can bring it up by using an Alt + Space shortcut, and it will search through your files, Google Drive, installed applications, and the web.
It also has Google Lens support, allowing you select and search anything on screen. Google's AI mode is also supported.
Google's partnership with StopNCII
The company has partnered with StopNCII.org, a UK-based charity, to protect people from Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII). Google will begin using StopNCII's hashes, or digital identifiers, on images and videos to remove content that violates its policies.
It will also allow people to create their own identifiers on images using the StopNCII website for intimate imagery. These hashes will be shared with participating companies, which will use them to detect and remove said images.
