Google expands Discover with follow for publishers and Shorts

Google announced Wednesday that it is expanding the Discover feed inside its Search app to let users follow specific publishers and creators and to surface a wider mix of content, including social posts and YouTube Shorts. The follow button begins rolling out today for signed-in users, Google said, while the broader addition of Instagram and X posts and other short-form video formats will arrive in the coming weeks as part of a staged rollout.

Under the update, users who see a card from a publisher or creator can tap the name to preview a consolidated page of that account's articles, videos and social posts across platforms before choosing to follow. Google said the preview page will include links to creators' accounts and a short Wikipedia description where available. The company described the change as intended to make Discover "a more helpful jumpingoff point for exploring the content you love," and said its research found people enjoyed seeing a blend of videos, social posts and articles in the feed.

Google emphasized that Discover will remain algorithmically sorted, but added the follow feature to give people more control over what appears in their personal feed. The move...