Google News is one of the most overlooked apps in Google’s arsenal of products. Realistically, you can get news from just about everywhere, but Google allows you to customize your news experience by following topics, locations, and sources. Most people who get the app only rely on the algorithmically curated list of headlines, but you can tailor your news feed to your liking. Here’s how to find your favorite news on Google News.
We’ll be taking a quick tour of what Google News is, how to navigate the app, and how to tweak your feed to your liking. If you want to download the app to your Android device, you can follow the link below.
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How to find your favorite news on Google News
When it comes to companies that curate news headlines, there’s always the chance that you’ll see some (or a bunch) that you don’t want to see. You’re given political headlines when you want the latest trend in cooking; you’re given articles about celebrities when you want to see what video games are coming out.
This is why you want to be able to fine-tune your results to your preferences. You can funnel in the headlines you want and screen out the ones you don’t. Google News gives you the ability to do that.
Following the news you want
There are three ways of getting news in the app. You can get it from topics, sources, and locations. Topics are broad subjects that could be the center of news headlines. They could be people, industries, companies, products, etc. Sources are particular news outlets like Android Headlines, Deadline, Variety, etc. Locations give you local news specifically from different cities.
When you open the app, you’ll see a list of headlines from different places based on your Google Search history. It’s called the For You feed. On the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the Following tab. When you tap on it, you’ll see two sections. The first section will show a carousel with the sources that you recently followed. The first item in this carousel is the Add interest button. It will let you search for sources to find.
If you want to see a list of all of the sources you follow, tap on the Library button on the carousel. It’s right next to the Add interest button. When you tap on it, you’ll see a page showing all of your sources divided into categories (topics, sources, and locations).
The second section will show you a feed of headlines from the sources you follow. You’ll see three articles from each source with the option to view more.
To follow a source, tap on the Add interest button. This will bring up a search bar. Here, you can search for the news that you want. After you type in your query, you’ll see a list of different types of results. Under each result’s name, you’ll see what type it is (whether it’s a topic, source, or location). You’ll also see general terms that will bring up headlines when you tap on them.
When you tap on a result, one that’s either a topic, source, or location, you’ll see a page that almost looks like a social media profile. You’ll see a profile picture with the name below. Under that, you’ll see a feed of relevant articles that you can check out.
On the right side of the screen, you’ll see a star icon. When you tap on that, you’ll follow that news source. When you exit that screen, you’ll see the source added to your Library in your Following tab.
Unfollowing news sources
If you accidentally followed a source or if you had a change of heart, you can reverse this. From the Following tab, look for the source you want to unfollow. Each source’s icon will have a three-dot menu on the top right. Tapping on that will summon a dropdown menu. You’ll see the “Stop following this source” button. Tap on that. If you’re on the source’s profile page, you can simply tap on the star icon again to unfollow.
How to screen out the headlines you don’t want to see
So, you’ve found all of the sources that you want to see headlines from, but you’re still dodging ones that you don’t want to see. Well, this process can be a little tedious, but it’ll pay off. You’re going to have to go in and tell Google what kind of news you don’t want.
In your For You feed, scan through for headlines that you don’t want to see. Tap on the three-dot menu for the article. From here, you’ll have two options. Firstly, you can choose to hide all articles from that source. This is the best if you have a certain outlet that you don’t want to see news from. It’s good for certain sources, but it’s not as effective if you want to adjust your entire feed.
If you want to fix your feed on a deeper level, go to the three-dot menu again. Instead of hiding it, you’ll go down to the bottom of the menu. You’ll see two hand icons (one thumbs up and one thumbs down). Tap on the thumbs-down option. This will tell Google to show you fewer headlines like that one.
You’ll want to go through and do this to as many articles as you can. The more you do this, the more you’ll train the algorithm to block them from your feed. This process might take a few days as the app will need to learn your patterns.
In order to help this process, go to articles you do want to see and tap on the thumbs-up button. This will help Google choose the right articles to throw your way.
Saving articles for later
Say, there’s an article you want to read, but you don’t have the time to do it at that point. You can save articles to read at a later time. Tap on the article’s three-dot menu and tap on the top option. This will store the article so you can access it later.
In order to see it again, go to your Following tab, and tap on the Library button. On the resulting page, scroll all the way to the bottom. You’ll see the Saved stories section. Tap on the View all and manage button on the bottom to see all of your saved stories.
The Newsstand
If you want to see a selection of stories selected by real newsroom editors, you can go to the Newsstand. On the bottom bar right next to the Following tab, you’ll see the Newsstand tab.
Here, you can look through the stories that are making headlines. You’ll see stories from different publications. Along with viewing stories from them, you’ll also be able to follow them. When you do, they will pop up in the Sources section of your Library.