Google’s latest update puts you in charge of your recommendations

Google is pretty good at figuring out what you’re interested in, but it doesn’t always get it right. Read one random story about running, for example, and Discover might suddenly decide you’re training for a marathon. Google is now giving you a little more control over those recommendations across Search, Discover, and Google News.

That starts with Discover, where you no longer have to wait for Google to figure out what you like. From the Google app, you can tap the three-dot menu and describe the topics or links you want to see more of in your own words. So, if I’m constantly reading kitchen hacks during my commute, I can ask for more. The same goes for anything from Android phones and photography to football or travel.

And if you prefer listening to your news instead of scrolling through it, that personalization is extending to Google News on Android as well. Daily audio briefings can now be tailored around the topics you actually care about, which could be useful when you’re driving, walking, or getting ready for work. Google will also clearly show where each story came from and link to the full article, making it easy to dig deeper when something catches your attention.

But choosing what you’re interested in is only part of the equation. Google is also giving you more control over where that information comes from with a new “Preferred Source” button. It lets you prioritize sites you frequently visit, helping their coverage appear across Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. So, if you always turn to a particular publication for your tech, sports, or entertainment news, you can essentially tell Google you’d like to see more from it.

Google is finally giving you more control over what it recommends. Given how easily one random search or article can throw your recommendations completely off track, being able to choose what you see, what you hear, and where it comes from sounds genuinely useful.