Google Chrome has announced one of the biggest updates to Chrome for Android in some time, giving tablets a much needed overhaul of the web browser.
In a blog post, Google laid out a weighty emphasis on tab management in its latest browser revision, which is welcome news for many business and pro users, especially in anticipation of the company’s upcoming Pixel Tablet, which is set to arrive next year.
When tabs become too small because there are so many open, for example, the close button is set to disappear to prevent accidental losses. There’s also a “one-step restore” in place to retrieve an accidentally closed tab.
Chrome for Android updates
It seems that Google has also taken a leaf out of Apple’s book by offering an alternative to the horizontal tab bar, which it calls the visual tab grid. Here, users can see previews of tabs to help them navigate more easily.
Another feature we’ve seen on Apple devices, as well as Chrome for the desktop, is tab grouping. This is set to come to tablets “soon”, however it did not make it to the most recent release of Chrome for Android tablets.
Elsewhere, enhancements have been made to productivity in Chrome on Android tablet devices. Drag-and-drop is now supported from Chrome to apps like Keep and Docs, which allows users to pull data like images, text, and links straight from the browser.
Finally, a new desktop view can be enabled by default, which requests desktop versions of websites rather than mobile-friendly interfaces. In many cases, this can open up a fuller version of a site with more menus and buttons.
This latest version of Chrome is available now to download on all compatible tablets running Android.
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