Google is currently rolling out a new feature called ‘Follow’ for Android users. The news was shared with the public by the company’s own Adrienne Porter Felt, an engineering director for Google Chrome. It is similar to the RSS feed aggregator called Google Reader that was run by Google back in 2005.
Much like Google Reader, the new Follow feature allows users to follow websites and receive updates from them. Once a user has followed a website, the RSS updates appear in card format on the Google Chrome home page. This update feed is located right next to the Discover tab on Chrome under the label ‘Following’.
While an unspecified portion of Google Chrome users on Android have already received the update, there are those who haven’t. People who haven’t gotten the ‘Follow’ feature yet can turn it on manually by enabling the relevant flag in Chrome. This only applies to users who have Chrome 94 or later versions of the Android web browser.
To turn the ‘Follow’ feature on, head to chrome://flags on Chrome and search for ‘web feed’. Toggle the option on and it will start working on your phone.
For now, this feature is limited to websites that are in English. Adrienne Porter Felt assured users that more languages are to be added soon.
Felt also confirmed that the new ‘Follow’ feature is only available to Android users of Google Chrome at the moment. iOS users are slated to receive the feature next, followed by desktop users of Chrome a little later.
Namerah is a Technology Journalist with experience at leading online publications like Android Central. She has a passion for all things tech and gaming, and has been an honorary Goodreads librarian since 2011. When she isn't writing, she can be found chasing stray cats and dogs in the streets of Dhaka or slaying dragons in the land of Skyrim. Email her at namerah@goodereader.com
