Google has updated the US version of its Google News page with deeper Google+ integration that will soon be rolled out across Google News globally.

According to Google, in an effort to expand its users' views on the news, it is adding three new features. These include larger images on the main page, a new real-time coverage page for the latest articles and comments, and lastly, relevant Google+ posts to add a social media perspective.

The new real-time coverage feature is said to make every news story visible as soon as it is published. The news items will appear in chronological order, followed by recent opinion pieces and in-depth coverage.

The feature will serve to fill the gap left by the disintegration of Google's real-time deal with Twitter. After the contract came to an end last year, the parties were unable to reach a new agreement.

Both the real-time coverage and main news pages will feature a right-hand column in which recent and relevant discussions from the user's Google+ circles will be displayed.

Google News product manager Scott Zuccarino says: “This way you can see what your circles, journalists covering the story, and notables like politicians or others, who are the subjects of stories, have to say about breaking news, and even contribute to the discussion directly from Google News.”

Zuccarino emphasises that users can opt out of viewing the Google+ content by either logging out of their profile, or turning off the display of Google+ posts in the Google News settings page.

The new features are only being rolled out in the US over the coming weeks, but are expected to make their way to other regions in due course.

Last year, when Google initially announced its “Search Plus Your World” update to its algorithm, competitors and privacy advocates alike cried foul, saying the search giant was using its dominance to push users to its social platform, Google+.

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