Google updates Currents app with new look and other improvements

google currents ss

Google has been on fire lately with its iOS apps, displaying a newly-found sense of design that features a clean, simple interface with a large helping of Helvetica Neue. Just look at Google Maps, YouTube, or Google+ and you’ll see what I mean.

Today, the search giant has updated its Flipboard-style news aggregation app, Google Currents, with that design, as well as other new features and improvements. Navigation in the app is now quicker, and news stories are much easier to find…

Here’s the 2.0 change log from the App Store:

• Edition sidebar – quickly access your editions within categories such as business, sports, etc.
• Fast scan – Vertical swipe to scan an edition, horizontal swipe advances to next edition
• Breaking stories – ranked by Google News. Links to full length content.
• Saved stories – star for future reference
• New catalog design

I’ve never been a big Flipboard user, and I think I’ve tried Google Currents maybe once before today. But I have to say, I’m really digging this update. The UI is clean, navigation is quick and smooth, and it’s really easy to find interesting content.

The default news sources include websites across various genres: Entertainment, Tech, Sports, etc., and adding your own sources only takes a few taps. There’s also a new Breaking News section, which is aggregated from Google News.

Overall it’s a great update, and it brings the app up to par with Google’s other popular iOS offerings. It looks good on both the iPhone and the iPad, and as usual, it’s free. If you want to check out Google Currents, you can find it in the App Store.

What do you think of the new Google Currents app?