New Google app reaches parts that others won't

Google yesterday announced an overhaul of its search app on cellphones to include a personalised feed of links about hobbies, travel, sports and other topics, a move that puts the company into more direct competition with social networks such as Facebook.

Google, the world's largest search engine, said the changes would begin rolling out in the US yesterday and other countries soon.

The new offering is called Google Feed, a name that may conjure comparisons to Facebook's News Feed, a feature to browse updates from friends, family and other sources.

Google said, however, that it was not trying to duplicate Facebook, the world's largest social network. Instead, the company said it wanted to create another place to see a stream of relevant search results.

"This feed is really about your interests. It's not really about what your friends are interested in," said Ben Gomes, a Google vice-president for engineering.

Typical updates might include a link to a website with tips about an upcoming holiday spot, or a link to a page about cycling or another hobby, the company said.

Facebook and Google are jockeying for attention online and by extension for advertising revenue based on those eyeballs.

The two Silicon Valley companies are expected to take in about 50% of overall online ad spending in 2018, according to research firm eMarketer.

There were no immediate plans to include advertising in Google Feed, Gomes said.

Google Feed will suggest links based on a user's Google search history as well as data from other Google services, such as YouTube, Gmail and Google Calendar, the company said.

In addition to putting Google Feed on mobile apps, the company is looking at attaching it to web browsers in some form, said Shashi Thakur, another Google vice-president for engineering.