Google just made a pretty big move for anyone who’s tired of playing news roulette. As of April 30, 2026, the company’s Preferred Sources feature is officially rolling out in all supported languages globally – not just English speakers in the US and India anymore.
The feature first debuted back in August 2025, and the idea behind it is refreshingly simple: you get to pick which news sites you actually want to see in Google’s Top Stories section. No more being at the mercy of the algorithm every time you search for what’s happening in the world.
Here’s how it works – when you search for something newsy, you’ll see a small star icon right next to the “Top Stories” header. Tap it, search for your favorite outlet, and add it to your list. From that point on, Google bumps up content from that source whenever it has something fresh and relevant to your query. There’s even a dedicated “From your sources” carousel that pops up right in your results.
The numbers behind the feature are pretty telling. Readers are twice as likely to click through to a site after marking it as a Preferred Source, and people have already added over 200,000 unique sites to their lists – ranging from niche local blogs all the way to major global news desks. Google also lets you add as many sources as you want, so there’s no limit to how much you can personalize things.
One thing worth noting – Google isn’t completely handing over the wheel. You’ll still see stories from other publications in Top Stories, so the goal isn’t to build a content bubble, but to give trusted voices a better seat at the table. Google Product Manager Duncan Osborn put it well, saying the feature is about helping you “stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to“.
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