Hey everyone, it seems like Google’s phasing out the old ‘Articles for you’ section and introducing Google Discover on Chrome for mobile. I’ve got it on my iPhone with Chrome version 91.0.4472.80.
What’s Google Discover in Chrome?
Basically, Discover is Google’s way of suggesting articles based on your interests, similar to how it works in the Google app.
Google’s AI creates a profile of your interests using your Chrome and Google Search activity, then finds related content for you. They call this the Discover Feed.
The old “Article suggestions” tab used your Discover feed. Now, with Discover integrated directly into Chrome, you get more control over what you see.
How Does Discover Work?
If you were a fan of the “Articles for you” section, you will likely find Discover a step up. It refines the whole suggested articles experience in Chrome.
With Discover, you’re now in control of what shows up in the articles Chrome suggests. You can adjust the topics Google’s AI has picked for you using the “Manage interests” section in Discover’s settings.
One thing to note, Discover displays articles in both large and small thumbnail formats, which some users might find a bit annoying with the large previews.
How to Manage Your Discover Interests in Chrome
To tweak Discover’s settings, open a new tab in Chrome. Look for the settings gear icon next to the ‘Discover’ label and tap on it.
Then, select the ‘Manage interests’ from the menu that pops up.
This will open your “Interests” page in a new tab in Chrome. Tap “Your Interests”. Here, you’ll see topics you’re following, as well as suggested ones.
To unfollow any topic, just tap the blue tick next to it.
To start following a topic from the suggestions, tap the “Plus (+)” icon next to it. You will then see related stories in your Discover feed.
Optimizing Your Discover Experience in Chrome
Even after you’ve set up your interests, Discover might still show you articles that don’t quite match your chosen topics.
If an article shows up that doesn’t appeal to you, click the menu icon next to it and select ‘Not Interested in [Topic Name]’ to unfollow that specific topic.
You can also block entire websites if their articles aren’t your cup of tea. Use the “Don’t Show Stories from [Website Name]” option to stop those sites from appearing in your feed.
Other options to fine-tune your feed include “Hide This Story” for specific articles, and “Report Content” if you come across misleading or harmful content.
Enabling and Disabling Discover in Chrome
If you had the “Article suggestions” feature enabled, you should have Discover already activated. If not, you can toggle it on in Chrome’s settings.
Method 1: Enabling Discover via Chrome Settings
-
To enable Discover in Chrome, tap the ‘Menu’ icon (three dots) at the bottom-right, then choose ‘Settings’.
-
Scroll down a bit and switch the toggle next to ‘Discover’ to the ‘on’ position.
-
Open a new tab, and the Discover feed should appear.
If you find the Discover feed distracting, you can disable it in the same way.
Method 2: Disabling Discover via Chrome Settings
-
Go to Chrome Settings.
-
Scroll down and turn off the toggle switch next to ‘Discover’.
Keep in mind that even if you disable Discover in Chrome, you can still access it via the Google app on iPhone and Android. Discover is primarily a mobile feature and is not available on desktop.