Google to radically change homepage for first time since 1996

Google's famously simple homepage with its logo and single search box on a white background is set to undergo a radical change for the first time since its launch in 1996, with the addition of Google's interest and news-based feed. The feed of personalised information, which has been a mainstay of Google's mobile apps for Android and iOS since 2012 along with a home-screen page on Google's Nexus and Pixel smartphones and tablets, will become part of the main desktop experience in the near future, the Guardian understands. On Wednesday Google announced it was deploying further customisation to the feed, which took over from its Google Now personalisation in December, using the company's "advanced machine-learning algorithms". Shashi Thakur, vice president of engineering at Google said: "You'll see cards with things like sports highlights, top news, engaging videos, new music, stories to read and more. And now, your feed will not only be based on your interactions with Google, but also factor in what's trending in your area and around the world." Users will also be able to follow topics straight from search results for things such as sports, movies, music and celebrities, showing updates on those topics in the feed.