Last updated: February 15th, 2021 at 13:35 UTC+02:00

How to use Google Discover on the home screen on One UI 3.1

Formerly called Google Feed, Google Discover is a news feed service that Samsung integrated into One UI 3.1. Mind you, it might not be turned on by default. But the good news is that enabling it should only take a moment.

Here’s how to do so on the Galaxy S21 series, as well as any other Samsung device running the Android 11-based One UI 3.1 OS:

Switching to Google Discover on the Galaxy S21/One UI 3.1

Long-press any empty part of your home screen
Swipe to the last card on the left
Make sure the feed toggle at the top is switched to ‘On’
Select Google Discover over Samsung Free

At this point, you can just back out of that last menu or tap the Home button to return to your home screen. This very same methodology can be used for switching to the Samsung Free service or disabling the news feed functionality altogether, whatever your preference might be.

If long-pressing on your home screen doesn’t activate a carousel of card-based options, that might be because you’re running a custom Android launcher. To switch back to One UI, go to Settings > Apps > Choose default apps > Home app and select One UI Home on the following interface. If you aren’t seeing the news feed card afterward, then you’re likely not running One UI 3.1 yet. It also may not be available if your device came with an older version of One UI and made the jump to version 3.1 through a software update.

Native Google Discover integration is just one of several additions to Samsung’s mobile ecosystem signaling a closer collaboration with Alphabet’s subsidiary. Another recent example of that trend is Samsung’s participation in the Android Enterprise Recommended program. Ditto for the expansion of SmartThings to Google Nest devices.