Google News 12+

For example, options to filter out unwanted content fail. Personal preference is paramount. If I cannot customize my experience, I find it very difficult to continue using the App. Google should know me better by now. I provide enough feedback through the App for a proper algorithm, but it is like no matter how many times I tell Google NO about something, they tend to come back with a YES response, which is quite argumentative, rude and provocative. If I say I do not want to see a source, Google does nothing about it, other than gather data on my preferences. Gathering preference data and not implementing it to accommodate preference feels like being swindled. I gave you my preference, but instead of RESPECTING my preference, I am constantly DISRESPECTED every time Google ignores my preference data. A data-harvesting algorithm is useless if you drive users away with BAD DESIGN.

After getting sick of Apple New and it’s “curated” content and weird organization scheme I’ve been giving Gnews another look. Including local news is a neat feature, but doesn’t work when you present yesterday’s weather and traffic. The Thumbs Up/Down is a nice idea, but I don’t really see much change in my content tbh. Some of the content served up is a head scratcher - articles on the opposite end of the political spectrum or things that have some relation to my location, but not really to my actual interests. My biggest complaint is the repetitive content and the glut of two bit and garbage “news” outlets and blogs. I don’t need 10 articles telling me the same thing over and over and over again. Clean up your feed, focus on legit blogs and outlets, adjust to user feedback more quickly, remove irrelevant articles (old sales, weather & traffic), and this app will be a winner.

Original review from years ago: This replaced Google Currents, and has been a disappointing experience. Currents was customizable in terms of content selection and was a minimalist reader for my chosen content. This new version puts emphasis on pay walled sites and serves up preconfigured sections (like a analog newspaper). They also removed the nifty drag gesture for minimizing the current selected article.

Google, are you listening? We all came to love your services for their simplicity and focus. What was wrong with the Google News app which I’ve loved for years? Why are you dumping its simplicity for this over-engineered under-thought product? More and more you are rolling out offerings which feel more like products of Apple or Facebook. If I wanted dumbed-down, bloated apps that make decisions for me I would not be coming to Google for a solution. Why does this app not have a dark or night mode? Why are the articles with their pics so large I can only sew a couple or a few on my phone at a time —how hard would it be to add a menu option for a condensed headlines view? If I needed a Apple news app view, I would use the Apple News app. This is Google Reader all over again —killing off your most-beloved products in leu of something that integrates features your fan base don’t care about while dumping those that do. It would not be hard to add a traditional or classic view to this app for those users who prefer the layout they’ve been using for years with the prior Google News app. I just deleted this app, and I’m not returning to it until you at least provide a sensible, condensed view free of clutter and massive article photos.