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Google Play Newsstand now shows stories based on your interests

Machine learning makes Google's digital magazine more personal than ever.

If you're a heavy user of Google's news reader, get ready to bear with some big changes: today, the company gave Newsstand a complete overhaul. The updated app takes a step back from the categorically organized feed the app is known for to focus on creating an experience specifically tailored to the interests of the user. The idea is to create a more personal experience that factors in local news, personal interests and the day's major headlines.

Each story is accompanied by a footer explaining why it was shared with the user -- calling out topics you've shown interest in that caused this story to appear in your feed. It's a more curated system, but in a way it limits the options immediately available at the app's launch. The news categories that once headlined the app's main page have been moved to the 'library' section, where they co-exist among links to specific sources like CNN or The New York Times. The experience also looks wildly different than before, discarding most of Google's material design standard in favor of new design that puts the focus on full-bleed photos and video presentation.

Google has also created an all-new web app for Newsstand, offering all of the same curated news features in a larger scale. For the most part, this works great, save for the fact that stories read in a web-browser are still formatted for a smartphone screen, and open in an appropriately small window. It's not an unworkable problem, but it's a little odd. Check it out for yourself at the source link below.