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Google Chrome’s incredibly fast release cycle continues with the latest release, this time with version 108 of the browser. The release introduces a few select changes that will make the browsing experience more predictable and better for everyone on mobile, but the developers are also preparing a small interface tweak for Android users.

Chrome 108: Android virtual keyboard resizing

Google and Apple have historically offered different methods as to how apps draw content on the screen and how virtual keyboards are integrated into the respective mobile operating systems, Android and iOS. That’s also true for browsers, with Chrome usually behaving differently from Safari. Generally speaking, the standard behavior on iOS is that the keyboard slides over the currently visible content at the bottom of the screen while the keyboard on Android resizes the visible section of the website. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and it can get confusing for both users and developers to have to account for both of these.

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Source: Google

Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. Notice how blue blocks, which are placeholders for bottom and top bars, behave differently across platforms

Google wants to make it easier for developers to account for these differences by allowing them to opt for whichever method works better for their websites. Using a new method, websites can dictate how Chrome should behave. Should the keyboard just slide over the visible content, or should the visible section of the content be resized to fit the area visible above the keyboard?

Chrome 108: Price tracking

Just a few days too late for the big Black Friday shopping event, Google is adding price tracking to Chrome. The feature has been in the work for a long time, and it works just like you know it from price comparison websites. When you track certain products, Chrome can send you emails or notifications to let you know when they are on sale. Price tracking details are synced alongside bookmarks, and the feature is only available for signed-in users who have their Web & App activity enabled.

Chrome 108: COLRv1 font improvements for better emoji

COLRv1 is a new font format that allows Google to add more vivid fonts to Chrome, like colorful emoji, all while not using up a lot of storage. To improve how these fonts work and show up, the company is working on two features. For one, it is now possible for websites to ask a browser which features or font formats are supported, all while offering fallback options when things don’t work as intended. For another, the company is improving the COLRv1 spec with new variable functionality, allowing for even better looking emoji.

Chrome 108: Memory and Energy saver

For desktop and ChromeOS, Chrome 108 is adding a new battery and memory saving feature that you might actually notice in everyday usage. A new Memory Saver will automatically hibernate tabs in the background, all while keeping you informed about what’s happening. You can also define exceptions and turn the whole mode on and off. Google is currently rolling this out to a limited number of users, so it will take some time until it is fully launched.

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To skip the line and get those battery savings in, enable the chrome://flags/#battery-saver-mode-available flag. After a browser restart, you can then toggle on a new “Battery Saver” in your browser settings.

Chrome 108: New omnibox design for Android

Google has been working on a small redesign for its omnibox for a while, Google’s name for the combined address and search bar at the top of the Chrome interface. While the address bar’s look itself doesn’t change and remains the same when you just peek at it at the top, the look is now much more in line with Material Design 3 than it ever was before, with a card-based design similar to what you know from the Google Search app.

To see this in action yourself, you first need to enable the chrome://flags/#omnibox-modernize-visual-update flag.

Chrome 108: Password notes

We first reported that Google was working on the option to add notes to saved passwords in February 2022, and it's now finally becoming a stable feature on Chrome 108 for desktop. The notes can be saved right along with the username and password and are protected by your biometrics or lock screen, just like the passwords themselves.

Chrome 108: How to download

Chrome 108 is rolling out to computers, phones, and other devices right now. If you don’t have it installed on your device yet, you can get it from the Play Store. On your desktop computer, it is available over on the Chrome website.

UPDATE: 2022/12/02 08:56 EST BY MANUEL VONAU

More features announced

The article has been updated with new features announced by Google: Price tracking, Memory and Energy Saver, and password notes