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Category: Product Updates

Tell Google Discover What You Want | Analysis by Brian Moineau

Posted on by Brian Moineau

Tell Google What You Want: “Tailor your feed” Brings Prompt-Powered Control to Discover

Imagine opening Google Discover and being able to say, in plain English, “Show me cozy home-cooking videos, but only dairy-free recipes,” or “Keep politics out for a while — show me science and college basketball instead.” That’s the idea behind Google’s new experimental Labs feature called “Tailor your feed,” spotted in testing this week.

Why this feels different

For years, Discover has quietly learned from what you search, click, and ignore. It nudges you toward topics it thinks you’ll like, but the control panel has always been a bit clunky: tap three dots, mark something “not interested,” or favorite a source. “Tailor your feed” moves that control into natural language prompts — you talk to Discover like you would a helpful friend, and its AI updates your recommendations instantly.

This is not a full public rollout. It’s a Search Labs experiment in the Google app, currently limited to early testers (US English was reported), but the approach signals a bigger shift in how Google wants us to manage passive, algorithmic content.

What to know right now

  • The feature appears in the Google app’s Search Labs (tap the beaker icon in the top-left).
  • You open a prompt box labeled “Ask for the kind of content you want,” type a request, and Discover updates your feed instantly.
  • Prompts can include topics, formats, tones or “vibes,” publishers to prioritize, or content to avoid (e.g., “Stop showing me negative news”).
  • Google says Discover will remember these preferences and you can adjust them anytime; activity links back to My Activity.
  • The experiment is early and rolling out slowly — not everyone will see it yet. (Reported Dec 15–16, 2025.)

The practical examples that caught attention

  • Add a project-based topic: “I signed up for my first half marathon; give me training advice.”
  • Remove a stale topic: “I’m back from a NY trip — stop showing me travel tips.”
  • Narrow formats or dietary constraints: “Show me meal-prep videos that are dairy-free.”
  • Adjust tone: “Make my feed feel calm and cozy.”
  • Favor publishers: “Show more from The Washington Post.”

These examples illustrate how specific you can be — goals, formats, sources, and even mood are fair game.

Why Google is doing this

  • Personalization, made faster: Natural-language prompts shortcut the months-long feedback loop of behavior-based learning.
  • Engagement and retention: If people get what they want, they’ll spend more time in Discover (and the Google app).
  • Better signals for relevance (and ad targeting): More explicit preferences are valuable for content ranking — and for ad relevance.
  • Experimentation culture: Google Labs lets the company try riskier UI and AI ideas without committing to a wide release.

The potential upside

  • Faster, clearer control: Users can correct misfires quickly without hunting through menus.
  • Useful for life changes: Short-term goals (training for a race, planning a move) become easier to surface.
  • Better format discovery: If you want videos, explain it — Discover can prioritize that format.
  • Reduces noise: If you need a break from heavy topics like politics, you can simply say so.

The trade-offs and concerns

  • Filter bubbles deepen: Explicitly asking to favor certain topics or tones may reduce exposure to diverse viewpoints.
  • Publisher discoverability: Smaller outlets might lose traction if users ask for a narrow set of sources or vibes.
  • Privacy and activity linking: The prompt history links to My Activity; anything you tell Discover becomes another personalization signal.
  • Misunderstanding and misuse: Natural-language interfaces can misinterpret vague prompts, requiring additional back-and-forth.

How this changes the Discover experience

Think of Discover sliding along a spectrum from passive surfacing to semi-curated reading list. “Tailor your feed” pushes it closer to a hybrid: still recommendation-driven, but with on-demand curation. That could make Discover feel more intentional for users who want it — and more “sticky” for Google.

My take

Giving users a conversational way to tweak their feed is a smart move. It matches how people already describe preferences — in goals, vibes, and formats — and it reduces friction. But expect the usual tension: personalization makes life easier and more pleasant, yet it also tightens your content bubble. Ideally, Google will offer nudges that encourage variety and let users reset or explore outside their requested tastes.

If you’re curious and see the Labs beaker in your Google app, it’s worth trying — it’s an experiment, after all. Use it deliberately: try a goal-based prompt for a few weeks, then toggle it off to see how much Discover relied on that instruction.

Sources



Related update: We recently published an article that expands on this topic: read the latest post.

WhatsApp Adds Native Multi‑Account Support | Analysis by Brian Moineau

Posted on by Brian Moineau

Finally: WhatsApp will let you run more than one account on the same iPhone

Imagine juggling personal texts, customer messages, and that group chat you can’t quit — all inside the same WhatsApp app, without awkward workarounds. Meta has quietly started rolling out a TestFlight beta that does exactly that: native multi-account support for iPhone users. For anyone tired of switching devices or installing a second app, this could be the small change that makes daily messaging a lot less messy.

Why this matters right now

  • iPhone users have long relied on hacks — a separate WhatsApp Business app, cloning apps on Android, or carrying two devices — to run multiple WhatsApp numbers.
  • Meta is testing a native solution in the WhatsApp beta for iOS via TestFlight, which signals the feature is moving from code hints into real-world use.
  • The beta currently supports up to two accounts that live inside a single app, with separate chat histories, backups, and notification settings.

What the TestFlight beta actually does

  • Adds an "Account List" section to Settings (or a quick button near your profile QR code) so you can add and switch accounts from inside the app. (9to5mac.com)
  • Lets you add:
    • A brand-new number (never registered on WhatsApp),
    • An account already used elsewhere (including WhatsApp Business), or
    • A “companion” account by scanning a QR code from another phone. (9to5mac.com)
  • Keeps each account’s chats, backups, notification tones, and privacy settings separate — so your work alerts won’t clutter your personal DMs. (macrumors.com)
  • Shows which account a notification belongs to, to reduce confusion when messages arrive. (macrumors.com)

A few usability notes from the beta reports

  • The testing build is limited to a subset of TestFlight users; there’s no official public release date yet. (9to5mac.com)
  • Switching is designed to be fast: quick taps or holds on the Settings tab let you toggle accounts without logging in and out. (macrumors.com)
  • The feature appears to respect App Lock (Face ID/Touch ID/passcode) so protected accounts stay secure when switching. (macrumors.com)

Why Meta is likely doing this now

  • Platform parity and convenience: Instagram and Facebook already let users manage multiple accounts, and bringing parity to WhatsApp removes friction for people who use multiple identities (personal, freelance, business). (macrumors.com)
  • Growing multi-SIM and eSIM use: many people have more than one number linked to their single iPhone, so native multi-account support meets a real user need.
  • Product simplification: reducing the need for WhatsApp Business as a workaround means fewer apps to manage and better retention inside the primary WhatsApp experience.

Possible wrinkles and open questions

  • How many accounts will the final public release support? The beta is capped at two, but that could change.
  • How will backups interact with iCloud storage limits and account-specific encryption? Reports say backups stay separate, but details on storage and restore flows could affect adoption. (9to5mac.com)
  • Enterprise and compliance: businesses that rely on integrations or multi-user tools may need updated workflows if account linking behaves differently than existing companion modes.

What this means for different users

  • For freelancers and solopreneurs: less app-hopping and cleaner separation between client and personal chats.
  • For small business owners: easier management without forcing a switch to WhatsApp Business (though Business still has specialized tools).
  • For families and power users: clearer notification boundaries and fewer accidental replies from the wrong account.

A few practical tips for testers

  • If you’re on TestFlight and see the Account List, try adding a second account and test notifications so you understand which account receives what.
  • Test backups and restores for each account separately to confirm iCloud behavior matches your expectations.
  • Use App Lock for any account with sensitive chats to keep switching secure.

My take

This is one of those unglamorous but impactful product moves: not new technology, but a quality-of-life improvement that changes how people actually use the app every day. If Meta executes the final release cleanly — clear notification labels, reliable backups, and straightforward account management — this will quickly feel indispensable for anyone who juggles more than one WhatsApp number on an iPhone.

Sources