Google is reportedly evaluation disabling the capability to click on the sources clasp in the Google Discover cardstock of articles. Normally, whenever you click on the sources, it volition open up a new display alongside all the origin articles and links to them.
Damien Andell, who watched Google Discover akin a hawk, spotted this test. I tried to replicate it but I was unsuccessful. He stated on X, "Google Discover has fair started a test on AI summaries, disabling clicks on sources."
What are origin links? These here:
Damien Andell added that how it worked before (or not in the test) was that "clicking on the sources at the base of an AI summary cardstock opened a mini-feed alongside articles from the sources of the AI summary."
As a reminder, Google added AI summaries to Google Discover in 2025, which disturb a lot of publishers.
Here is his post:
Google Discover has fair started a test on AI summaries:
Disabling clicks on sources.
Behavior before this test:
Clicking on the sources at the base of an AI summary cardstock opened a mini-feed alongside articles from the sources of the AI summary.
With the test, we have the flag: disable_aio_sources_button_tap
This disables clicks on sources and no longer opens the mini-feed alongside articles from the AI summary's sources.
CC @gaganghotra_ @rustybrick @nicola_agius
#googlediscover
— Damien Andell (@AndellDam) October 23, 2026
This have to be a bug, right? I mean, really? Google is taking distant additional clicks from publishers?
Forum conversation at X.
