The Best New Features to Try in the Latest Chrome Update
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Chrome browser, Google is releasing a significant update to the browser, giving it a softer, rounder look and some nifty new features. Most of the changes in Chrome version 69 are small quality-of-life improvements, some of which are so subtle that you might not even notice them as part of Chrome’s new design. While they may not be life-changing, here are a few things to watch out for in Chrome’s new interface:
Password generator
Chrome can now create your passwords in addition to storing them – the most important feature in this update. Store passwords and auto-complete function in the web browser now includes a password manager a la LastPass or 1Password , which greatly simplifies the use of longer and reliable default passwords.
When you sign up for a new service, Chrome will happily offer you a strong password. Just click on the password field and Google will generate it on your behalf, just as it prompts you for the password you already saved.
If you’re already using a password generator, this feature won’t feel like anything new, but it’s at least handy to have this service integrated into your browser.
Google gives the search bar a big boost
Chrome now presents search results for general queries (like current weather) in the search bar, so you don’t even need to navigate to the second page to find the answer to what you’re looking for.
In a blog post announcement, Google said it can provide all kinds of information through the Chrome omnibox, but it seems to be limited to very general, specific phrases right now, such as “How long is Incredibles 2 lasting?” (two hours five minutes) and “What’s the weather?” (here in Brooklyn, sultry 91 degrees).
Search tab in Omnibox
I’m surprisingly excited about this. Have you ever had so many tabs open that you couldn’t find the article or conversation you were looking for, forcing you to systematically close tabs to look for the needle in the haystack that is your digital life?
Of course have. I do this at least twice a day.
To help us all find what we have saved and lost in our browsers, Google has provided Chrome with the ability to find certain web pages through an omnibox (address bar). Just enter the name of the website or page and select “Go to Tab” to see what you are missing! I’m already breathing easier.
Chrome’s redesigned aesthetic also makes tabs easier to read, making each site’s icon more visible, so you’re less likely to lose your tabs.
On your phone, the search bar is always at hand
If you’re using Chrome on your phone, there is one big UI change that catches your eye like a sick – excuse me – finger.
The Chrome iOS app now has a sticky toolbar at the bottom of the screen instead of the top. This effectively reconfigures for one-handed viewing, as you don’t have to awkwardly move your hand up to the top of your phone screen to select a tab or open the search bar.
The list of options in the More menu — the ellipsis on the right side of the toolbar — is also much easier to read and scan, thanks to larger text and new icons for features such as bookmarking and asking for a PC version of a page.