Google+ Ditches the "Circles," Replaces Them with Find People Feature

When Google+ came out, all that Google could talk about were Circles, the "revolutionary" new way of keeping your friends nicely compartmented in groups. It was Google+'s key feature, at least as Google saw it.

But it seems that things are changing, so much so that the Circles name has been replaced altogether.

Now, the feature is called Find People and, along with the name change, there are also a couple of changes to how it works. Specifically, Find People now lists a bunch of people you may know and suggests you friend them.

Suggestions are based on your friends and contacts from Gmail, but also other Google products, but they're not necessarily people you've contacted yourself, they could be friends of friends, coworkers and so on.

"We’re making some updates to Google+ to help you find people you care about and add them to your circles," Google's Sean Purcell wrote.

"For starters, the Circles icon in the app ribbon is now labeled Find People. Click through and you’ll find a new page with a list of people you might want to add," he added.

"We'll show you people you're already talking to on Gmail and other Google products at the top of the page. To get even more suggestions, it’s easy to search by your school, workplace, or other email accounts," he explained.

Your circles are still there, and they're still called circles, but they've been relegated to the third tab of the new Find People feature.

It makes sense though, Google+ is big enough that you've probably already added all the people you were going to add by yourself to your circles.

Users who have been around for a while are not actively adding too many people at this point, which is why Google thinks they need a nudge. The Find People feature could prompt users to add people they wouldn't have thought to otherwise.