Google Moves Chrome’s Address Bar to the Bottom on iOS, But Not Android
In a surprising move, Google has announced that it has rolled out a new feature for Chrome on iOS that moves the address bar to the bottom of the display. This change is designed to make it easier for users to reach the URL bar on larger phones, as stretching your thumb to the top of the screen can be challenging. However, what’s perplexing is that this feature has not been made available for the Chrome browser on Android, despite the fact that Android is developed and managed by Google.
The decision to prioritize iOS over its own Android ecosystem is unusual, but it is possible that iOS users have been more vocal in requesting this feature. Additionally, the feature has already been available on Apple’s Safari browser since 2021, which may have influenced Google’s decision.
To enable the new address bar placement in Chrome on iOS, users simply need to tap and hold on the address bar, then select the option to move it to the bottom. Reverting back to the top placement can be done by repeating the same process or adjusting the bar’s position in Chrome’s settings.
While this feature is currently exclusive to iOS, it is likely to be introduced for Android in the near future. However, Google has not provided any specific timeline for its availability on Android devices.
This feature was initially teased in August, raising expectations that Android users would receive a similar preview period before its launch on iOS. Interestingly, Google did test the feature on Android in 2020 but eventually decided not to implement it.
The address bar relocation is just one of several recent updates that Google has made to Chrome. In October, the company introduced five new updates to improve web browsing, such as enhanced autocomplete, typo corrections, and bookmark search. With this latest change, Chrome is inching closer to its rival, Safari.
Overall, Google’s decision to prioritize iOS over Android for this feature has raised some eyebrows, but it is expected that Android users will soon gain access to the new address bar placement.
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