Google tries to burst filter bubbles with redesigned 'News' app
Google wants to broaden your horizons — and maybe put some "fake news" to rest — with its updated News app.
The company rolled out the new program during its I/O conference Tuesday. It uses artificial intelligence to show everyone a broad perspective on the same information, unlike, say, the Facebook News Feed, which varies wildly from person to person. In other words, a story about President Donald Trump and Iran may incorporate information from a number of outlets, but it will look the same to everyone who sees it.
When you log in, you’ll see For You, Headlines, Favorites, and Newsstand sections. The first is filled with stories that the service thinks you’ll be interested in, while the “Headlines” section is populated with globally trending stories. “Favorites” lets you save stories, and Newsstand contains content from magazines and other outlets.
Though Google News will display articles that are tailored to your interests, it's focused on showing you the "full story," as Google News head Trystan Upstill demonstrated at the Google I/O developer conference Tuesday.
"Everyone has access to the same information," he said.
Its full coverage feature attempts to show many different perspectives on a story, including those from around the world. He called it a "360 view beyond scanning a few headlines."
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Another feature, Newscasts, gives a preview of what a story is about and uses AI to show you what to expect. "Newscasts make it easy to dive right into perspectives to learn more about a story," Upstill wrote in a blog post Tuesday about the changes to news.
Google Play Newsstand on mobile and desktop will be replaced with the new Google News, but a newsstand tab will persist and offer stories from more than 1,000 magazines and publications.
Also within the revamped news platform is an easy subscribe feature. Instead of filling out a form, paywalled publications, like the Washington Post, will offer a one-click option, using your billing and payment information from your Google account.
For those paid subscriptions, Google will make sure you can access those stories and content off its app and platform out on the web. Simply log in with your Google account on those sites and you're good to go.
The new Google News is rolling out now. It will be available in 127 countries on iOS and Android and web.
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
