Google+ gets massive overhaul

Tech giant Google has rolled out a significant redesign of Google+ that it says will make the social network "more functional and flexible."

According to details on the official Google blog, the visual revamp is part of its plan to make Google+ easier to use.

"By focusing on you, the people you care about and the stuff you're into, we're going to continue upgrading all the features you already know and love—from Search and Maps to Gmail and YouTube," says Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra in the blog post. "With today's foundational changes, we can move even faster—toward a simpler, more beautiful Google."

Among the changes: a tweaked navigation menu along the left side of the screen that lets users move or hide apps, conversation "cards" to highlight important friend discussions, a dedicated hub for Hangouts highlighting popular broadcasts or related items and an Explore page for finding trends within a user's network.

Gundotra says more than 170 million people have Google+ accounts since opening to the public last September. By comparison, rival social network Facebook had 845 million monthly active users as of last December.

However, it appears Google's foray into social networking continues to gain traction. CNet reports U.S. visits to Google+ surged in March, jumping 27% compared with February.