MIUI Launcher has a hidden Google Discover integration that only works in some regions

The Google Discover feed is a very handy feature that you’d mostly find on Pixel or other stock Android devices. The feed conveniently sits to the left of your home screen and displays vital information about things that matter to you. These include the latest news stories, updates about your favorite sports teams, tailored video recommendations, and much more. Sadly, most Android manufacturers don’t implement this feature in the default launcher on their devices. Instead, they include their own implementations that provide similar functionality, like OnePlus’ Shelf. Xiaomi’s MIUI is among the many skinned versions of Android that don’t include this feature on the included MIUI Launcher . However, we’ve recently learned that the Google Discover feed works in the MIUI launcher in select regions.

Thanks to Igor Eisberg from the Xiaomi.eu ROM team, we now have our first look at the Google Discover feed working on the MIUI launcher. As you can see in the short clip below, accessing the feed works just like it would on a Pixel device. You just need to swipe right on your home screen and it’s all right there.

 

A string of code related to the feature indicates that it only works in 2 specific “regions”  – mx_telcel and lm_cr. We’ve also learned that this feature was added in the MIUI 9.8.2 update dated August 2nd, 2019.

As of now, it isn’t clear if Xiaomi plans to include this feature on the MIUI launcher in other regions as well. However, if you’re interested in using this feature on your Xiaomi device, you’d be glad to know that you can easily get it with a supported third-party launcher. You can try the popular Nova launcher or Action launcher to get the Google Discover feed on your phone, however, you’ll need to install a separate APK to enable the feature. For a more stock Android-like experience, you can also try out the Rootless launcher which also lets you enable the feed in the same manner.

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