If you own an Android phone running a largely stock experience or use a launcher that mimics it, the chances are you have the Google Discover feed to the left of your home screen. The artist formally known as Google Now/Feed is now just a selection of articles (and, more recently, ads) from around the web according to what Google thinks you're into. Aside from the controls on each post, there's also a place in the Google app's settings to customize your content. It's been given a makeover and also a new name — Interests.

Old 'Customize' interface vs New 'Interests' menu.

That makes sense, I suppose, since what you're served is supposed to be based on your interests. While the look and feel of the new settings section is rather different, the functionality is largely the same. In Your Interests, you'll find a list of the 'Topics You Follow,' with checkmarks next to them so you can deselect and unfollow them should you choose to. Next up is 'Places You Follow' that is tied to Google Maps and includes a toggle that allows businesses to know that you follow them. The final section is 'Based On Your Activity' and those content topics are taken from your popular Google searches — next to each is a stop icon to hide related content or a plus so that you can add them to the topics you follow to receive more stories about them.

You still access 'Interests' in the same way as 'Customize' before it.

I must be honest, looking at my followed topics, I don't often receive recommended content about them, so I'm really not sure how well all of this works. Perhaps these changes arrive with more meaningful backend alterations that will lead to better performance, though — we can but hope. Another section lives behind the Interests setting called 'Hidden' where all of the content categories of blacklisted publications live (things like BGR and Daily Mail for me). You can go here to reinstate any mistakenly muted channels. In my recent experience, they're only replaced by more questionable news sources anyway.

 

The bottom part of Your Interests shows your Places and other search-related content.

These changes aren't necessarily rolling out to everyone just yet, but Rita and I both have them so it's a safe bet that they'll arrive soon for you. It's likely handled by a server-side switch, but being on the latest version of the app certainly can't hurt. Download v10.49 via the Play Store or grab it from APK Mirror.

Google Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
4.3
Download

Via: 9to5Google