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People who use Google Chrome for mobile are used to reaching to the top of the screen to access the address bar. While that’s the case, it looks like Google is looking to change that. According to 9To5Google, Google is testing a bottom-mounted address bar for Chrome, but you can’t try it if you’re an Android user.
That’s right, Google is testing this out for iOS users. This should come as no shock, however, it always seems to surprise us when we’re talking about a Google-made app. Realistically, it’s easier to test on iPhones because there are fewer variations of iPhones than there are Android phones.
While Google is testing this out for iPhone users, it doesn’t mean that the feature isn’t coming for Android users. We may see a test eventually or it might just launch.
Google is testing a bottom-mounted address bar in Chrome for iOS
This will give Chrome a new look, but it isn’t something we haven’t seen before. Actually, several of the top mobile browsers have the address bar on the bottom. This includes Safari, Firefox, Vivaldi, Brave, and so on.
It’s an intuitive change, as it makes the address bar easier to reach. Phone screens are large to the point where reaching across them is just about impossible. Moving the address bar down to the bottom eliminates gratuitous hand gymnastics.
As for the test, only a limited selection of users will be able to access it. The feature is hidden behind a flag that you’ll have to activate.
When you activate the flag, you’ll have the option to move the address bar to the bottom or leave it at the top. It’s good that the company gives you the choice between the top or bottom-mounted bar. To change the setting, you’ll go to your settings, and go to the Address bar section. There, you’ll see a simple UI letting you choose.
How to activate the setting
If you want to try out this feature, you’ll need to enroll in the TestFlight program. It’s the beta testing program on Chrome for iOS (you can do that here). When you do that, update the app to the beta version.
In the beta version of the app, paste chrome://flags in the address bar. On the resulting page, you’ll want to search for “bottom-omnibox-steady-state”. When that result pops up, you’ll then want to set it to Enable. Relaunch the program and go to the setting where you’ll change the address bar.