[1] Google Reader grew in popularity to support a number of programs which used it as a platform for serving news and information to users.

[2][3] In early 2001, software engineer Chris Wetherell began a project he called "JavaCollect" that served as a news portal based on web feeds.

[4][5] In September 2006, Google announced a redesign for Reader that included new features such as unread counts, the ability to "mark all as read", a new folder-based navigation, and an expanded view so users could quickly scan over several items at once.

[16] Instapaper developer Marco Arment speculated that the real reason for the closure was to try to keep everyone reading and sharing information using the now defunct Google+, and that it signaled the end of the era of unrestricted and interoperable web services like RSS from large organizations like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

"[18] In 2022, Techdirt called the discontinuation of Google Reader "one of the defining moments in the shift from a more distributed, independent web to one that is controlled by a few large companies.

"[19] Reader's interface evolved several times from an early version, described by a Google designer who helped work on the revision as a "river" of news,[20] to various experiences optimized for a wide range of devices, from browsers to the Wii video game console.

[25] Google removed the sharing functionality built into Reader in October 2011, and replaced it with a Google+ +1 button.

[26] Users criticized this change because it effectively dismantled existing social networks that used these features and disabled sharing and publishing functions that served as a communications medium for Iranians seeking news sources that couldn't be blocked by the government.

[27] The Google+ +1 button and count of how many people liked an article were removed in March 2013 shortly after the announcement that Google Reader would be discontinued.