Google News will soon unlock paywalled content for iOS and Android users

Google News
(Image credit: Google)

Keeping up with the latest news can be difficult which is why Google launched Google News Showcase back in October as part of a $1bn investment to help contribute to the overall sustainability of its news partners around the world.

Now though, the search giant is announcing a number of new updates to News Showcase that will make the product even more useful for both news publishers and users.

First off, Google will soon begin offering users access to paywalled content in partnership with select news publishers as paywalls are a crucial part of some publishers' revenue strategies. The company will pay participating partners to provide limited access to paywalled content for News Showcase users and in return, these users will register with the news publisher to provide a way for publishers to build relationships with readers.

In order to make it easier for users to find more valuable content from their favorite news organizations, Google will also introduce a new type of News Showcase panel which includes a list of important articles selected daily by their favorite publishers. At the same time, relevant national and local publications will now be shown to users within their For You feeds as well as in a dedicated area to discover new News Showcase publication within Newstand on Google News.

News Showcase

Since first launching News Showcase two months ago, the number of global publications that have signed on has nearly doubled.

There are now close to 400 news publications in countries such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, France, the UK and Australia and Google is currently in talks with other countries to add their publications to News Showcase as well. Some notable new partners include publications such as Le Monde, Courrier International, L'Obs, Le Figaro, Libération and L’Express in France, and Página12, La Gaceta and El Día in Argentina. 

News Showcase is currently only available in Germany and Brazil but Google plans to launch the product in other countries including India, Belgium and the Netherlands soon.

In addition to these new updates, News Showcase has also expanded to Google News on iOS and it will soon be coming to Google News on the web and Discover soon. News Showcase metrics will also soon appear in Search Console so that publishers will have more data to better understand which articles and topics users are responding to.

Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home. 

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