Google seems to be currently running a limited experiment in which Google's Discover article feed shows like counts on Android phones, at least to some users, reports 9to5Google.

Google Discover testing like counts for articles

Usually, if you're browsing social media websites for news you want to read, the like count can prove to be useful in deciding which news post to tap on. Despite Google Discover not being a social media, it seems that the company is looking into features of social media, in order to help you better determine what to read.

Curiously enough, Google Discover has had a feedback option for quite some time, you can share either positive or negative feedback on an article. However, this was primarily linked to refining the suggestions you get in the app. Now, this feature is simplified to a heart button, and a downvote button is now the "Not interested in this" option.

All that being said, it seems the Mountain View tech giant is looking into other ways to use the like button in the Discover feed. This limited experiment shows the like count for some articles and videos, which, quite understandably, shows you how many Google Search users have enjoyed a given post.

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This is how the tested like count appears in Google Discover

This interesting new change has the potential to shift things for the Discover feed, and as 9to5Google rightfully remarks, could have smaller publications aiming to encourage their readers to give a like to a given article in Google Discover.

So far, the experimental like count was seen only within articles relating to a particularly popular topic. We will have to wait and see where Google goes with this option and whether or not the company is planning to have it widely rolled out. If that's the case, it may take some time before the feature becomes available for everyone.