Google Ending Notes on Search by End of Month

Author: Barry Schwartz | July 16, 2024, at 12:52 pm | Reading time: 2 minutes

Google Notes, a labs feature launched in Search and Discover eight months ago, will officially be discontinued at the end of this month.

"We’re excited to continue testing new ways to connect people to authentic, relatable voices and look forward to bringing some of our learnings from Notes into future product experiences," Google told 9to5Google.

What Was Notes?

Notes allowed users to write their own notes on specific search result listings and within Google Discover, with others able to read these notes. For detailed information, refer to our original coverage.

Brad Kellett, Senior Director of Engineering at Google, explained during the launch: "Our goal with this new Labs experiment is to provide access to helpful tips about an article or topic from both experts and everyday people. This not only helps you narrow in on the most relevant information but also may help you see what worked for others who have been there before."

Discontinuation Details

A Google spokesperson further elaborated to 9to5Google:

"Search Labs is our testbed for bold experimentation, and as we’ve shared, not all experiments will launch broadly. We’ve seen in our research that people want to hear from others like them, and Notes was an exploration of how to help people share their knowledge right on Search. We’re excited to continue testing new ways to connect people to authentic, relatable voices and look forward to bringing some of our learnings from Notes into future product experiences."

Initially, Notes had a labs end date of December 2023, which was later changed to "ends soon." It has now been confirmed that the feature will conclude at the end of August.

Why It Matters

For those who utilized Notes in Search and Discover, you have until the end of August to download your notes using Google Takeout. Despite mixed reactions to Notes in Search, Google’s willingness to experiment with new features and discontinue those that do not perform well demonstrates their commitment to innovation and improvement.