Google is testing a new mobile search feature this would bring out TikTok and Instagram videos on their own dedicated merry-go-round – the search giant’s apparent response to the growing appetite for short-form video content.
The new feature will expand based on a test feature launched by Google earlier this year that nestled a “Short Videos” carousel on the personalized Google Discover tab. Although the original version of the feature focused on aggregating video from Google-owned platforms such as YouTube and the short-form video project Tangi, Instagram and TikTok content will be included in the update.
The move is likely to help Google maintain usagers who just want to let their eyes glaze over and watch a cat in pajama pants for a few minutes as an excuse to stop feeling anything for a while – that is. all. Namely, when a user clicks on a short video on the carousel, they are directed to a web version of their native platform instead of being transported to the corresponding application – meaning users are more likely to press the Back button and return to Google than they will fall into an endless scroll hole.
A confirmed Google spokesman for TechCrunch that the feature is being tested on mobile devices, but said the carousel is still in its early stages and does not yet appear next to all search queries.
The new “Short Videos” carousel is still entirely separate from the “Stories” feature that Google unveiled for its iOS and Android search app in October 2020. Formerly known as “AMP Stories”, stories are composed of compiled content for a short list of Google digital publishing partners, which includes Forbes, USA Today, Vice, Now This, Bustle, Thrillist and others.
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