Google Reader lives on in Chrome's latest feature, available now on Android

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Chrome Android Follow Web
Chrome Android Follow Web (Image credit: Chromium Blog)

What you need to know

  • Google Chrome's new RSS feature is arriving on the stable version of the app.
  • The new "Follow" button has been in the works since May and was available to users on the Canary channel.
  • Users can easily follow websites using the three-dot menu, with content appearing on the Chrome new tab page.

Google Reader is finally back from the dead, sort of. Google Chrome is rolling out with a new "Follow" button that allows users to add a website to a new RSS feed in the browser.

The feature was announced on Friday by Google's director of engineering, Adrienne Porter Felt, who says that the feature is available on stable versions of Chrome. The RSS feed will appear next to the Discover feed on Chrome's new tab page.

The feature is reminiscent of Google Reader, a popular RSS service that was killed in 2013, leaving users to seek other ways to keep up with the latest news and updates from particular websites.

The new "Follow" button has been in the works on the Chrome Canary developer channel since May, but apparently, it's ready for prime time, and anyone can try it out.

The feature should be available automatically for some users, but if you don't see it turned on, you can enable the Chrome flag under "web feed." Once it's enabled, you can start following sites by navigating to the three-dot menu and selecting "Follow" at the bottom.

So far, the feature is only available on the best Android phones with Chrome 94+. iOS and desktop versions are planned.

Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee
Managing Editor

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.