Last year, the Google app on Android abandoned Chrome’s custom tabs by opening Discover articles and search results. Google has now redesigned the custom browser in the app with a lower bar to make it easier to navigate.
Update 2/9: This redesign of the in-app browser is getting a significant feature that allows users to slide up the bottom bar with a new pull tab. These slides open a “People also see” sheet that features the Google logo at the top and shows a feed of articles and videos related to the Discover or Search link you’ve opened. Some content features full-width cards, while carousels are also present.
It provides a Discover-style experience and is a perfect way to see more about a topic while staying in the current browser window. Generally speaking, features like this are the reason why Google opted for a customized browser experience for its search application. It is being released with the Google app 12.4 beta.
Original 1/14: while the old design placed the controls in the upper right corner of the app bar, this new design moves the main actions to the bottom. It is now possible to navigate back and forth, while “Share” opens the standard Android spreadsheet. The rightmost button opens a menu with the same options as before: update, open in Chrome, find on the page, browser settings and send feedback.
The app bar still has a Close button in the left corner, while HTTPS blocking and the domain are centralized and the Google bookmarks feature is on the right. Meanwhile, the two strips hide as you roll for a clean look.
Google app browser redesign
Google shows no signs of going back to the previous implementation of the Chrome Custom Tab, which was a universal paradigm of Android. This in-app browser approach has its own website settings and the ability to clear browsing data, as well as enabling / disabling “Safe Browsing”. The only alternative is to have all Discover content and search results open directly in Chrome.
This redesign of the custom browser is being launched with the latest beta version of the Google app (version 11.43).
Old Google app browser
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