Whether you’re shopping for a new coat or a new budget Android phone, deciding which option to pick is difficult. While Android Police has you covered in terms of tech, usually choosing an option involves reading numerous reviews across multiple tabs and putting it together yourself after hours of research. Google streamlined this process in Chrome through the Tab Compare feature. This guide discusses what the feature is and how to use it.
What is Chrome Tab Compare?
Chrome Tab Compare allows you to compare products across tabs open in Google Chrome. It does this by using AI to recognize that there are numerous tabs and suggesting an AI summary. After you allow it to do so, it generates a summary of each product’s main characteristics, such as price, features, and specs, in a table in a new tab.
Google announced that this feature would start rolling out in the US over the coming weeks in a blog post on August 1, 2024. It only compares up to 10 products and can only be used for shopping.
There are some prerequisites you must meet to use the feature.
- Use Chrome on a computer.
- Sign in to Chrome with your Google Account and turn on sync.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be in the United States.
- Turn on the Make searches and browsing better option in Chrome.
To turn on the Make searches and browsing better option, follow the instructions below:
- Launch Chrome on a computer.
- Tap the main menu (the three dots) in the upper-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- In the You and Google section, select Sync and Google services.
- Under the Other Google services section, turn on the Make searches and browsing better toggle.
As long as you meet these prerequisites, you’ll either have the feature available or should have it soon.
How to use Chrome Tab Compare
Using Chrome Tab Compare is easy and should happen automatically.
- Launch Chrome on a computer.
- Open separate tabs with listings of the products you’d like to compare.
- A pop-up next to your tabs asks if you want to generate a comparison. Tap Yes.
- A new tab is generated with a table comparing the products and their attributes.
Chrome Tab Compare concerns
While this feature seems useful and can help users save time, there are some concerns.
- How accurate is the AI? There are concerns about the feature’s accuracy since it uses AI to synchronize the information. AI works well much of the time, but current AI models hallucinate enough that it is a bit of a concern. If the feature makes up an incorrect price or spec, it might sway you towards the incorrect product due to that hallucination.
- Will it pull the right details? Another concern is whether the feature grabs the right details from the product pages. Make sure the most salient information displays in the comparison table. There’s no guarantee that will happen.
- Will it take traffic away from websites? This is a concern with most AI features and is especially concerning for someone who writes for a living. What if this feature takes away traffic from websites with articles comparing products? This may lead to more websites losing traffic and potentially closing.
Compare products with a click
Jumping between tabs to compare products is tedious and often frustrating. Chrome’s Tab Compare feature resolves that frustration by doing the comparing for you. While there are concerns, the feature could save time if implemented correctly. Chromebooks, whose operating system is based on the Chrome browser, have many other AI smarts you can take advantage of.