Google has announced some updates to the feed experience in the main Google app. Here's what you need to know.

The company said the app now offers "improved machine learning to anticipate what’s of interest to each individual user," as well as "the option to ‘follow’ certain topics in Search results to add them to a feed", and finally, "more varied news sources and the opportunity to fact check stories". In other words, Google wants to make it easier for you to discover information and stay connected while using its feed.

What's new with the feed in Google's app?

Machine learning

The feed is an ongoing 'list' of sorts that shows things relevant to your interests, whether that be music or news stories, and the more you use Google, the more tailored and relevant your feed will become. You can tap “Customise” in the Google app’s settings menu to adjust your feed at any time, but remember, Google now uses improved machine learning algorithms to better anticipate what’s interesting to you.

What's trending in your area

Also, starting 19 July, Google said your feed will start to factor in what’s trending in your area and around the world. It will also reflect your interest level for various topics. For example, if you’re a photography enthusiast who is casually interested in fitness, your feed will show that, Google explained. Again, you can visit the app's settings, or just tap on a given card in your feed, to adjust what you see.

Follow and search topics

You’ll also now be able to follow topics directly from Search results. You just have to look out for a new “follow” button next to results, like movies, sports teams, music artists, famous people, etc. Tap it to start getting updates and stories about that topic in your feed. If you want to take a deep dive into that topic, look for the new header at the top of the card. It lets you further search with one tap.

What's more, Google said that, when available, you’ll be able to fact check and "see other relevant information to help get a more holistic understanding about the topics in your feed", though it has yet to detail how this feature works. 

When will the new feed be available?

The new feed experience is available in the Google app for Android and iOS. It is now live in the US and will start rolling out internationally in the next couple of weeks. Google said you just have to open the Google app and scroll up to get started.