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Seven years ago, Google announced that it would phase out all Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux by 2018 (it would actually take until 2023). In its place would be what the company called Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), web apps that can be installed on a user's desktop that act as if they are practically natural apps and programs. The idea grew quickly, with Chrome users having installed PWAs in record numbers by the beginning of 2022. Soon, every website will be installable on desktops through PWAs.
Google Chrome's Android-like media player is just about ready
Desktop browser gets a dash of Android goodness
Google Chrome Canary is updated regularly with new features, and in the last few months, most of the changes have focused on the visual design to ensure our favorite browser on Android looks current, even on other operating systems. In the version built for Windows, Google recently introduced dynamic theming and AI-generated wallpapers for a handful of users. Now, another change in the Canary channel gives us access to an Android 14-style media player.
Google Chrome's incognito mode now explains that websites still track your activity
New disclaimer appears in Chrome Canary following $5 billion lawsuit settlement
Google Chrome is the world’s most widely used web browser across operating systems, and by a landslide margin. It offers every necessary feature you could need, including incognito mode, to browse privately. However, back in 2020, the company was sued for allegedly violating federal wiretap laws because this mode wasn’t as private as advertised. The company recently settled the suit for a whopping $5 billion and Chrome is finally updating its Incognito mode disclaimer to be more explicit.
Chrome will make websites behave even more like apps on Android
Websites can get one-time permissions in the latest Canary version of the browser
Limiting access to your personal information and devices is critical to ensuring your privacy isn’t compromised online, and all our favorite Android phones provide granular controls for device permissions to keep you safe. Common permission controls, like those for location, camera, and microphone, are app-specific and independent of each other. Popular internet browsers offer similar permission controls on a per-site basis, and Google Chrome for Android is now improving with support for one-time permissions.
Google Chrome for Android could make viewing PDF files easier
PDFs could be opened without a tap after downloading with a new settings toggle
Android devices are versatile in their ability to handle multiple file types and extensions, mostly using the vast catalog of apps available on the Play Store. PDFs are among the most widely circulated file formats because they are platform-agnostic, and don’t require specialized software for access. The world’s most popular web browser, Google Chrome can access and open PDF files on desktop and Android, but a new flag in Chrome Canary for Android suggests PDFs will soon open automatically after the download is completed.
Chrome is making it easier to screenshot videos without all the junk
A new right-click option to 'Save video frame' was just enabled by default in Chrome Canary
If you’ve ever uploaded videos to YouTube, you’ve dealt with the annoyance of saving a still frame from that video to then use as your thumbnail. You don’t even have to be a content creator to get frustrated trying to grab a screenshot from a video without showing the volume slider, play/pause button, and other elements from the player controls. Thankfully, Google has been working on a feature to copy still frames from any online video with a new option in Chrome's right-click menu. Back in October, we wrote that Google was working on a “Save video frame” feature that had to be turned on manually in Chrome Canary. Earlier this week, that tool was enabled by default.
Google could soon let you use AI to create a personalized Chrome theme
A Chrome Canary feature indicates that you could deploy AI to generate a theme
If you love being able to tweak the look and feel of Chrome, you’re likely already using a custom theme, extensions, and other add-ons to personalize your experience. That being said, Google is always working on updates to enhance the UI. Now, a tweak to a setting spotted in Chrome Canary suggests that AI may be integrated into the user experience.
Chrome's Memory Saver could soon get better about killing your tabs
Adding a Probabilistic mode to Chrome’s Memory Saver could reduce consumption
If you spend an ample amount of time browsing the web, you know how quickly tabs can pile up. Even if you don’t intend to leave them open, these Chrome tabs can end up consuming a large amount of memory. Now, Google has developed a feature aimed at cutting back on your memory usage, and it could also curb your tab habit.
Chrome Canary now lets you pin Side Panels next to the omnibox
Get to your reading list and browser history faster on desktop
Google Chrome has been the best web browser on Android and other operating systems for several years now, and its popularity boils down to the simplistic design and exceptional ease of use. Take, for instance, the perennial need to access your reading list or browser history (for whatever reason) with just a single click. The Side Panel in Chrome for desktop makes it possible. A recent update suggests Google could eventually allow pinning the Side Panel tabs you frequent in the toolbar atop the browser window.
You can now preview Chrome’s new tab organizing feature in Canary
Organize Tabs will automatically group similar tabs in your window
When you’re browsing the web for an extended period of time, you’re bound to rack up several tabs. The end result is frustration when you need to backtrack. Google has seemingly been aware of this all-too-common problem, and it appears to be developing an automatic workaround for Chrome users. A new feature called Organize Tabs has popped up in Chrome Canary 120, and it might prevent this headache once and for all.
Google Chrome's useless Reading Mode to get a useful audio upgrade
An early version of a handy 'Read aloud' option was spotted in Chrome Canary
The reading mode built into your web browser helps declutter web pages to let you see articles without any annoying ads or popups. While a lot of popular browsers have had this feature for a long time, Google Chrome caught up with them only recently. But Google is actively working to bring additional features to its reading mode, and a handy read-aloud option is already on the way for the Chrome browser.
Google is making Reading mode settings slightly harder to access in Chrome
Morphing a functional settings strip into nested drop-downs isn’t a bright idea
Reading articles on websites can quickly get overwhelming with images, videos, and ads sprinkled throughout the text (hey, everyone's got to pay their bills). Like many of our other favorite web browsers before it, Chrome is trying to tackle this issue with a reading mode, even if it's arguably the worst implementation we've seen, with the original website always in view next to it. Now, we have word the feature’s user interface is in for a minor redesign on desktop.
Google Chrome mashes together translucency and Material You on Windows
The company is testing an eclectic mix of Mica material and Material You
Anyone running the current stable build of Google Chrome (version 114) on desktop knows the UI doesn't make it easy to tell the currently active tab apart from the others. It is usually just a shade darker or lighter than the others, but as much as we love dynamic theming, one of the world's most popular web browsers ought to have a better UI. Google seems to have received the memo because it's now testing a mix of dynamic theming and Microsoft's Mica material to differentiate the active tab.
Google is expanding Material You on Chrome Canary for desktop
Menu backgrounds get the colorful treatment
Google’s Material You design and dynamic theming engine made Android 12 several times more amazing than previous Android updates. Support for dynamic theming first arrived on popular Google apps, followed by hordes of third-party ones. Two years on, Google is bringing Material You theming to Chrome Canary.
Google is giving Chrome's Memory saver and media controls a visual refresh
The latest Canary build for desktop makes important info and features easier to access
This year, Google has been on a streak of sorts, adding new features and design tweaks to Chrome Canary ahead of their stable channel release as one big visual overhaul. We've also seen more functional features like Live Translate for video captions and Memory saver for resource optimization show up in earlier versions of the browser. Now, Google is refining the design for these feature dialog boxes.
You can soon stop Google Chrome's Memory Saver on your favorite websites
That YouTube background music tab will never go to sleep now
The fact that Chrome is the most commonly used web browser on the planet means that Google has to ensure people have an optimal experience, regardless of the device they use. For a resource intensive browser like Chrome, the Memory Saver feature introduced in February this year is rather important. Gradually, Google is making this utility more customizable. To this effect, the latest Chrome Canary has a new button to prevent Memory Saver from closing specific websites.
Chrome has a solution for sites constantly asking to prove you're human
The auto-verify feature is in testing on Chrome Canary
Most of us are familiar, often to our frustration, with CAPTCHA systems that ask us time and time again to prove our existence as human beings before we're allowed to interact with some online service. Over the years, folks have voiced their frustrations about these unavoidable puzzles, tasking us with clicking on endless traffic signal and spot-the-bus pop-ups. Salvation may soon be within reach, because now, Google Chrome is working on a solution to seriously reduce the need for those pesky CAPTCHAs.
Google Chrome tests Material You theming on desktop
Some menu entries now pull their colors from your Chrome theme
Most users of Google’s Chrome browser may be unaware of the significant visual update looming on the horizon, but it is something of an open secret for anyone following Chrome Canary’s near-constant changes. The latest tweak to the new design takes dynamic theming to the next level, with a minor change to the overflow menus.
Google Chrome is testing a new single-row layout for shortcuts on desktop
The new tab page gets a fresh look
Read update
Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers right now across multiple operating systems. To keep things ship-shape, it sees a regular stream of updates. Some of these changes may go unnoticed, but it's hard to miss tweaks to the new tab page (NTP) on desktop. Google is now testing a new layout for the shortcuts on Chrome Canary’s NTP.
This new Google Chrome toggle makes downloads less distracting on your computer
Such toggles are quite a rarity, even in Canary
Google offers a lot of features to help you focus and improve productivity on Chrome browser, and recent versions have made efforts to streamline things a bit. One such important change is the downloads counter shifting from the bottom bar to a drop-down menu next to the address bar, much like on Microsoft Edge. As a part of its grand 2023 redesign, Google Chrome is now testing a toggle that lets you turn off pop-ups for completed downloads.