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In an attempt to keep people within its ecosystem for as long as possible, Google is testing a mobile feature that displays videos from TikTok and Instagram on a dedicated carousel, according to TechCrunch.
The “Short Videos” carousel aggregates clips from other platforms, namely Tangi, the Indian competitor to TikTok Trell and YouTube. (Okay, the latter is a subsidiary of Google.) It is reportedly different from the Google Discover feed and Web Stories feature, the latter of which launched in October and focuses more on content created by Google’s online publishing partners.
The addition of Instagram and TikTok posts was first seen over the weekend by Brian Freiesleben, who was looking for the Green Bay Packers. TechCrunch replicated the experience and found the short video carousel below the Google knowledge base box.
“When clicked, you are taken to the web version of the social platform, not the native mobile app, even if it is installed on your device,” explains TC writer Sarah Perez. “The bottom line is that Google users are more likely to stay on Google, as all it takes is a tap on the back arrow to return to search results after watching a video.”
Google did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment. But a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the feature is currently being tested on mobile devices. Still in its early stages, the video carousel doesn’t appear in all searches, but it is likely to spread to more users as Google scales the product.
There is no news from Instagram or TikTok on whether they will continue to allow Google to tweak content or block the search giant’s access. Neither company responded to a request for comment.
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