Google Assistant Adds Personalized News

Google has announced the launch of Your News Update, a new feature for Google Assistant. Your News Update utilizes the search giant’s algorithms and user data to create a news feed for individuals, based on their interests.

“At Google, we saw an opportunity to help move digital audio forward by focusing on audio news. By analyzing what’s being said within a given audio file, we can apply our understanding around what text articles are about, how news stories evolve, how topics link together and what might be most relevant to a particular user’s interests,” wrote Liz Gannes, product manager of news, in a blog post.

To launch the service, users can simply say, “Hey Google, play me the news” on any Assistant-enabled phone or smart speaker. Your News Update will then offer different short news stories based on the person’s interests, location, user history and preferences, as well as the top news stories available. Google has partnered with publishers — including The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, Daily Beast, Motley Fool, USA Today and CBS Local, just to name a few — to provide content for the service.

“Collaborations with publishers from around the world over nearly two years have helped us imagine the future of audio news, and have reinforced the importance of building a healthy ecosystem for both listeners and publishers. And of course, the high-quality stories our partners provide are critical to creating a comprehensive, yet intimate, news experience for listeners,” added Gannes.

Your News Update is available in English in the U.S., and will expand internationally next year. Users can find the service in Assistant settings. Under the You tab, navigate to News and switch the News playlist format, then say, “Hey Google, play me the news” or add news to one of the Assistant Routines.