The main Google February 2026 Discover update has finished rolling out, starting on February 5, 2026 and now ending just over 21 days later on February 27, 2026.
This was the first confirmed update for Google Search this year, and the first ever update for Discover only that Google announced. Generally, Google’s main updates affect both Search and Discover, but this only affects content within Google Discover.
US and English. Google said the update currently only affects English-language users in the US, but Google said it will expand to all countries and languages in the coming months.
More details. Google said the major update to Discover will improve “the experience in several key ways,” including:
- It shows users the most relevant local content from websites in their country.
- Reducing sensational content and clickbait.
- It highlights deep, original, and timely content from sites with demonstrated expertise in a specific area, based on Google’s understanding of the site’s content.
Because the update prioritizes locally relevant content, it can reduce traffic to non-US websites that publish news for a US audience. That impact may diminish or disappear as the update expands globally.
Google is also making changes to the Get on Discover help page – so check that page as well.
More details. Google added that many sites display in-depth knowledge on many different subjects, and its systems are designed to identify expertise on a topic-by-topic basis. As a result, any site can appear on Find It, whether it covers multiple areas or focuses on one topic. Google shared an example:
- “A local news site with a special section on gardening could have found an expert on gardening, even though it covers other topics.” Conversely, a movie review site that wrote one article about farming is unlikely to happen.”
Google said it will continue to “show personalized content based on people’s creator and source preferences.”
During testing, Google found that “people find the Discover experience more useful and worth this update.”
Why do we care. If you’re getting traffic from Google Discover, you may have noticed changes in that traffic. Also, it should only be US English and only impact your Discover traffic. I will say, there have been many changes to Google Search but Google has not confirmed any of those reports.
Google recommends that if you need guidance, Google has “general guidance on important updates, as does our Get on Discover help page” in that help documentation.
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