The Google app on your Android phone is getting a helpful new feature

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published May 23, 2024

Google app on Android beta showing Notifications. — Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

The Google app for Android phones is getting a helpful new feature to make search even better. The latest beta has a dedicated “Notifications” feed in its bottom bar. The feature was first introduced on the mobile version of Google for Android earlier this year. The app feature was first noticed by 9to5Google.

The app now includes a Notifications option at the bottom, next to Discover, Search, and Saved items. The Notifications section displays a continuous list of alerts from Google Search, weather conditions, flight information, sports scores, movies and TV shows, and more. The notifications are grouped under “Today” and “Earlier.” This feature should prove handy if you miss a notification from the Google app, as it provides a more focused view than Android’s system-level history.

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When you tap on a notification, it takes you to a page related to the search term. In the overflow menu, you can delete items and instruct Google to stop sending notifications with similar terms.

Android Google app beta showing Notifications. — 9to5Google

The new Notifications screen is accessible through the latest beta version of the Google app (version 15.20). If you aren’t already enrolled in the Google app beta, you can sign up for free.

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As of right now, it appears you need to be part of the beta if you want the Notifications tab. The latest public version of the app (version 15.19) doesn’t seem to have it quite yet. It’s unclear when exactly Google plans to roll out the Notifications page for users not on the beta version, but given how useful the feature looks, we certainly hope it’s sooner rather than later.

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Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

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