Chrome

Once upon a time, there was a small movement among web browser extensions to introduce side panels for things like tab navigation and other useful pieces of UI. Browser makers themselves seem to have frowned on such an interface, but it seems that the tables have turned recently. Google is apparently starting to reclaim the sides of Chrome for additional information, like Reading lists and Google Lens searches. Now it is working on another panel that's designed to keep you living in Google land, even when you've turned away to another web page.

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Announced almost four years ago, Lens is one of Google's silent workers that power many of the features mobile users might be taking for granted these days. It powers both Google Photos' and Google Assistant's image recognition functionality, but Lens also has its own separate app on mobile. It doesn't have much of an existence outside smartphones, however, but that might soon change as Google works to integrate Lens functionality right inside Search results, at least in Chrome for the desktop.

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Users of Chrome that regularly open multiple windows at once, rejoice! The latest version of Chrome shows a new Save Group toggle when creating a group of tabs. This should allow the user to keep track of the multiple tabs they need open at once, even after Chrome is closed down for the day. That's assuming you or I ever close Chrome and/or shut one's computer off entirely which... is the healthy thing to do.

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Smartphones are getting more powerful and larger to the point that some of the hard limits of the past no longer really apply today. Multi-tasking has become more important as phones gain more RAM, and having more than one app open at the same time is a staple feature on tablets and the new breed of foldable devices. Despite those changes, mobile apps are still limited to the old "one instance" or "one window" per app convention from the first few years of smartphones. Google could be changing that with Chrome running on Android 12, allowing users to have as many as five instances of the web browser.

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Private browsing or incognito mode is one of the most basic privacy protection mechanisms web browsers offer today. Although sometimes mistaken for total privacy protection, incognito mode simply makes sure you don't leave traces on the browser itself. That protection, however, is pretty much pointless if someone else already holds your phone and the browser is open. That's why Google has been working on a reauthentication mechanism for Incognito mode that's coming to Android soon.

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The Google two-factor authentication (2FA) security system was updated with a new security key. This system is also called 2SV, or 2-Step Verification. Before now, users were given the option to use a physical security key (USB), or via a Google Prompt notification (via the Google or Gmail app)*. Now Google also allows users to use a smartphone with Android running the Chrome web browser app.

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Everyone talks about steps to take in protecting your security and privacy on the Web, but, to be honest, not all security measures are easy to understand or use. Some come with a plethora of options that overwhelm people, while others impact performance and the overall experience in exchange for better security. Chrome 92 was just released on all platforms to address those issues by making it easier to access relevant security and privacy settings and by mitigating the performance impact of certain security features.

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A new version of the Google Chrome web browser is available for Android devices and iOS devices as of this week. If you're using a mobile device right now without the latest version of Chrome, you'll see the Chrome 92 release available in your device's app store in the very near future. Depending on the device you have, you may have a Beta version available, too.

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Today we're taking a peek at a bunch of newly renovated emoji delivered with Android 12. Google made a set of emoji ready for all platforms in their collection, including but not limited to apps like Gmail and YouTube, as well as operating systems like Android and Chrome OS. The first and most clear change came with the "motorway" emoji, which now no longer has yellow lines on BOTH sides of the motorway - because that does not make sense.

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Google has been driving a crusade against elements that make the Web insecure and dangerous. Knowing that not all users might be aware of or want to make an effort to change their bad security practices, Google is trying to enforce security on its end using Chrome as its carrot and stick for website owners and administrators. For years, it has been pushing HTTPS as the one and only way for websites to serve content, but it hasn't been 100% successful. Now it is announcing upcoming features and changes to the Chrome browser that will deal with those HTTPS holdouts while still letting users decide their own fate at their own risk.

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Microsoft and Google are working together to bring new power to one of the most classic acts of computing in web browsing. Chrome and Edge-based web apps currently allow copy and paste action with images and text - but what about the rest? An update coming to the fold soon rolls with Pickle Clipboard APIs, making more formats compatible with copy and paste with "pickling."

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The Web can be a scary and dangerous place, and web browsers are continually trying to make it safer for users. Unfortunately, attacks can come not just from websites but also from within the browser itself. That may not come from vulnerabilities and bugs in the browser but from the extensions that advertise new functionality, sometimes deceptively. Almost mirroring the situation on Android, Google's Web Store for Chrome extensions has become notorious for hosting questionable software, and Google is cracking down on some of those extensions with a new set of policies to combat spam.

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