Google app spotted testing a new dedicated “Videos” tab
Our friends at Android Authority have found clues inside the Google app on Android pointing toward a new feature — a video feed inside the app.
The new feature appeared in the latest beta of the app, showing a video tab in the Google app navigation bar.
According to Android Authority, the feature isn’t live, and tapping on the button doesn’t load anything, but it’s clear that Google is gearing up to roll out this new addition to the Google app soon.
How the New Video Recommendations Will Likely Work
The Image tab UI inside the Google app | Image by Google
We can speculate about the expected functionality of this new feature, extrapolating from the already active “Images” tab inside the Google app.
This tab includes a search bar and brings up images based on your interests and recent searches.
The new “Videos” tab could work in a very similar way, showing YouTube suggestions or videos from other popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Google already shows videos from these platforms in its Search results, so it won’t be a huge change to insert a feed based on your search data (of which Google has heaps) into the Google app.
When to expect “Videos” to roll out to the Google app?
That’s a very good question. We don’t have any information about update schedules, and Google is silent when it comes to tweaking its apps and adding new features. At least until the feature in question has started rolling out and the press material is on the company’s website.
Judging from the previous app teardowns and the time between the feature appearing in beta and an official rollout, we can expect at least a couple of weeks to pass before we start seeing the “Videos” tab on Android devices in the wild.
Do we need another “Videos” feed? What about YouTube?
Another very good question is whether this new feature will actually be useful or if it’s going to end up in Google’s infamous graveyard. On one hand, people are used to specific apps for video consumption, such as the aforementioned YouTube, TikTok, etc. I know I don’t use the Google app to specifically watch or search for videos.
On the other hand, having all the content in one place could prove to be more convenient than launching and jumping across different apps and platforms. What do you think?
