The new Google Discover feed layout is odd, but I’m glad one feature returned

Google’s Discover feed – an absolute go-to stop for many Android users browsing personalized news and content – has undergone yet another big visual change. Gone are the card-like entries, replaced with full-width, zero-margin images in a new layout that is now showing up across a growing number of devices. I thought it was a fluke or bug last week when my feed changed, but it seems it may be here to stay.

The new layout has apparently become pretty widespread, and is in play both within the Google app and on the left home screen page where Discover is integrated by default. Previously, article images were displayed with distinct borders in a card along with the title and other bits. Now, these images stretch across the entire screen width and, if I’m being picky, don’t look great and definitely seem at odds with the Material 3 design language Google has been implementing across its services in recent months.

A return of the heart/like button

Google has changed up the look and feel of Discover so many times now that I have little faith this latest change is here to stay. It could be completely swapped out in a week for all we know, so I’m not getting too bent out of shape about it. It’s still delivering the content I’m looking for and still functions just the way it always has, so if it gets changed or stays as-is for a while, it’s fine by me.

The biggest re-addition I’m here for is the return of the heart/like button. For months, now, I’ve had no ability to use this feature to upvote or weigh in on the content Discover is feeding me, and I feel like that’s a pretty important part of the process at this point.

I know much of my Discover feed is controlled by the almighty algorithm, but I like feeling as if my input can sway things a bit. After all, in all other feeds, I have the ability to like and share things; why should Discover be any different. So, while I don’t know if the current design aesthetic of Discover is the right direction for now, I definitely love the return of the heart button – and I hope that part stays around for good.