Google Chrome Adding New Features on Mobile
Finding information online using your mobile device is already a breeze when you use Google Chrome. But Google wants to make it easier by adding more features.
On Wednesday, the company released new features for its app. These would include trending search topics and finding more search suggestions.
The new features would make it easier for you to find the right information when you are on the go.
Trending Search Topics
To see trending search topics, open the app. Then, tap the address bar and scroll down. There, you will find Trending searches. Tap on one of these topics to start a search on it so you can find out the reason it is trending.
For now, this feature is only available on Android devices. But the company promised it will be available on iOS later this year.
In addition to trending search topics, you can also see related searchers. To use it, you can type in the web’s address and tap the address bar to find other searches that are related to that page. The app might give you suggestions about hotels if you are trying to view a page about a tourist destination for instance.
Touch To Search
Chrome on Android also lets you see related searches using Touch to Search. Simply select a word or phrase. The app will give you a carousel at the bottom with related searches.
No More Download Bar
The company also removed the download bar and replace it with a new tray UI. For many years, the files you download would show up in a bar at the bottom of Chrome.
But this is going to change.
You will see a download tray instead. The legacy download bar had several issues.
For one, it occupied pixels at the bottom of the screen. As a result, it occupies the content area. Furthermore, it is limited by screen width.
It is particularly annoying especially if you are using a laptop.
By having its own tray that appears to the right of the address bar, “it will create a clearer separation of trusted browser UI from web content.”
To know the progress, you will see an animated ring. It notes the progress. A pop-up will show up when the download is complete. But if you find it annoying, you can disable it by going to Settings and clicking the Downloads option. Then, disable the “Show downloads when they are done.”
Furthermore, the bar also would not go away automatically. It only offered limited actions, like pause and resume.
Most of all, the bar was no longer modern.
Thus, Google decided to remove it and replace it with a download tray.
Tapping the tray also gives you a list of all the downloads from the past 24 hours. There’s a button that you can click to open the folder. Or use the pause, resume, cancel, or retry button.
The tray will also allow Chrome to warn you if you are downloading a dangerous file.
This new tray is now available on Mac, Linux, Windows, and ChromeOS. But you have to update it first to use the new features.
