Monday, December 23, 2024

Google Chrome’s new tab FAB takes a stab at bottom nav

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Summary

  • Google Chrome on Android may get a UI revamp with a Floating Action Button (FAB) for new tabs.
  • FABs are already present in other Google apps, but this change will improve the user experience on Chrome.
  • The new feature is spotted in Chrome version 127 and will likely reach stable builds soon.



There’s a reason why Google Chrome is one of the best web browsers that you can use. Not only are you getting a lot of great features, but if you’re a Google account holder, then the integration with the brand’s other services is second to none. Of course, just because Chrome is good doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have areas where it’s lacking.

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Perhaps one of the more intriguing episodes with Chrome on Android is how some features sometimes arrive faster on its iOS counterpart. We’ve talked about it before, and we desperately think that Chrome on Android needs a revamp. And now, it looks like a big change could be coming soon.



Getting to the bottom of things

It may not seem like a big deal, but having UI elements located towards the bottom of the display on a smartphone app can make a world of difference when it comes to seamless interactions. We’ve seen this change with a number of popular apps, and it looks like an upcoming update will introduce a much-needed Floating Action Button (FAB) to Chrome on Android that will allow users to easily open up new tabs.

FABs are nothing new, as we’ve seen this introduced in a number of Google apps prior, but Android Authority was able to spot this new UI element for Chrome in the latest beta, version 127, which means it’ll eventually find its way to a stable build. As you can see from the images above, the change is pretty drastic, as prior to the introduction of the new FAB, users would have to open a new tab by going to the upper left corner, which is a literal stretch.


With the new change, users will have the ability to quickly open up a new tab, just by tapping the new FAB that is located in the bottom right corner of the UI. So if you want to check it out now, you can download the beta version of Chrome, or you can just wait until it comes to the stable build.

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