{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug","json":"https://digestai.news/story/google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug.md","slug":"google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug","headline":"Google says disabled Discover source taps were a bug","summary":"Google confirmed that disabled source links on Discover AI summary cards were the result of a bug in an experiment. Rajan Patel, VP of Engineering for Search, stated on X that the experiment has been turned off and the feature now works as intended. This response follows a report by researcher Damien Andell, who identified a flag called “disable\\aio\\sources\\button\\tap” that prevented users from clicking sources to view the underlying articles.\n\nAndell initially reported the issue on Oct. 23, noting that tapping sources previously opened a feed of cited articles. After Google’s explanation, Andell checked the feed again on Oct. 27 and found the original experiment had been replaced by a new one named “aio tap falls through to hero.” Neither Google nor Andell has explained what the new experiment tests or how it affects user interaction with AI summaries.\n\nThe change is significant for publishers because the Discover Generative AI report in Search Console tracks impressions of links shown in these summaries. While the report measures visibility, the disabled taps temporarily removed a direct path for users to navigate from AI-generated content to the original source sites.","keyPoints":["Google confirmed disabled Discover source taps were a bug in a now-off experiment.","Researcher Damien Andell identified the bug via a specific flag in the Discover feed.","Andell found the bug was replaced by a new experiment called “aio tap falls through to hero”."],"whyItMatters":"This incident highlights how experimental AI features can inadvertently disrupt traffic paths from AI summaries to source websites, affecting publisher visibility and user access to cited content.","category":{"slug":"marketing","name":"Marketing & Small Business","url":"https://digestai.news/category/marketing"},"entities":{"companies":["Google"],"models":[],"people":["Rajan Patel","Damien Andell","Lily Ray"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-27T20:06:27Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-27T20:06:27Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"Search Engine Journal","title":"Google: Disabled Discover Clicks Were A Bug In An Experiment via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern","url":"https://searchenginejournal.com/rajan-patel-disabled-discover-source-clicks-bug/594579","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T20:06:27Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Google says disabled Discover source taps were a bug\", 27 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Google says disabled Discover source taps were a bug","datePublished":"2026-10-27T20:06:27Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/google-says-disabled-discover-source-taps-were-a-bug"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}