On Daily Listen showcasing the promise of Google Discover

I love Google Discover, and for the most part its feed shows interesting articles that match my interests. I tend to consume information by reading rather than listening, but Google’s new Daily Listen feature is extremely interesting and greatly improves Discover’s effectiveness.

9to5Google has reloaded newsletter it highlights Google’s most important stories with added commentary and other interesting tidbits. Register here!

This week Google announced Daily Listen as experiment at Search Labs US English users may agree. This personal podcast is less than five minutes long and begins with an overview of what will be discussed before moving on to three topics.

The player’s user interface, built into the Google app, is quite user-friendly, with real-time transcription as you listen. The mute button allows you to just read it, but the voices are quite human. Playback speed options range from 1 to 2x, and the timeline marks each skippable segment, with a 10-second rewind rounding out the controls.

You can hide the player in the top left corner using the system media controls available in notifications, and an “x” next to it stops playback completely. As you scroll through the daily listening interface, you get a “Related Stories” stream as the attached mini-player above marks which part you’re in.

Each topic has a section with three stories and images that presumably inspired today’s episode. You can express your interests by giving a thumbs up/down and clicking “Find More” to see the results page. I do think this short audio format will keep people clicking on those links to learn more and get the exact details, although I’m curious how that dynamic will change if Google ever offers the ability to make episodes longer.

The blue background is quite lively and distinct from Gemini, and the Daily Listen logo is decorated with AI glitter. It’s a little different from Google’s usual user interfaces, although it’s accessed via a prominent square card at the top of Discover. You can also open it on the left side of your home screen, where it prominently replaces a channel (as shown below).

There have been some real gems in my Discover feed over the years that I wouldn’t otherwise have found through my usual sources. Its key position to the left of the Android home screen means I find myself looking at it casually throughout the day.

Sometimes I get stories that don’t interest me, but for the most part, Discover accurately reflects my interests. Others complain that Discover publishes clickbait articles. I found that the options “See similar content less”, “Not interested in topic” and “Do not show content from [publication]”Controls make a big difference in customizing your channel.

Along the way, Google Discover received Material 3 redesign last month, which increases the size of the images and simplifies the cards by putting all the options in an additional menu/sheet. Not having the Save & Share shortcut in the corner is a bit annoying, but it does make the feed a little cleaner. With this update, there’s more focus on the following search topics that I ignored, although I’m definitely seeing more carousels for “Short Videos” and recently found products to buy. Both are good in moderation, but it can be too much.

If Daily Listen were to leave Search Labs, its place at the top of the Google Discover feed would be fairly straightforward. I’m curious where else Google will take the “podcast hosts discuss” concept after this? LaptopLMAnd Spotify Summary. Ability ask questions in Daily Listen would be interesting, although it’s a bit more in the realm of Gemini Live.

Overall, Daily Listen is one of the best examples of how adding Gemini to everything works and leads to something new.

For those who have it turned on, how do you like daily listening?