A new development in how content from Google Discover is shared online has emerged, sparking discussions among users. Google is now utilizing its own link shortening domains, such as search.app and share.google, when users choose to share content found through Discover. This shift alters the way shared links appear, moving away from standard URLs to a more concise format.

The introduction of these shortened links brings about notable changes in user experience. While traditional URLs clearly reveal the source website, the new links obscure this information. However, Google ensures transparency by providing detailed share messages that include the name of the original site, albeit as editable text. Despite the obfuscation, metadata essential for rich previews—such as images and descriptions—remain intact, allowing platforms like WhatsApp to still display comprehensive preview cards.

Link shortening is not a novel concept; it's widely used across various platforms for practical reasons, though often primarily to track analytics data. Similar practices are seen with X (formerly Twitter) using t.co and Apple News employing apple.news. As Google adopts this approach, some users may question its necessity or find it slightly inconvenient. Nonetheless, this move aligns with industry trends and could offer valuable insights into user engagement patterns, promoting continuous improvement in digital sharing experiences.