Three gestures in Chrome Beta for Android that you need to know
Google recently updated Chrome Beta for Android with some new gestures to help you better navigate the Web.
One of the more annoying features in Chrome for Android is the swipe from the edge of the screen to change tabs. More often than not, this feature is accidentally triggered when you're trying to move around on a Web page, causing you to jump between tabs at random. It's frustrating.
Google has finally taken notice and is currently testing out some new features in the latest Chrome Beta build for Android users.
As pointed out by the Google Operating System Blog, the new gestures are designed to help provide a better user experience while you're using Chrome.
- Instead of swiping from the edge of the screen to switch between tabs, now you'll need to swipe across the address bar in either direction to move between tabs.
- Also new is the option to quickly view all of your open tabs by placing your finger on the tab button, and sliding down in one gesture.
- Last but not least is the ability to open the menu and select an option in a single gesture. Similarly to opening the tab view, you place your finger on the menu button and motion down. The menu then opens and you can highlight the various options by dragging your finger down. Lifting your finger off the screen will select the highlighted option.
Relocating the gesture to quickly switch between tabs is convenient and sure to make a lot of users happy.
Chrome Beta is a testing ground of sorts for Android users. It's a great way to get a look at features before release via the stable version of Chrome. While Chrome Beta does carry the beta tag, it's far more stable than one would expect. However, that's not to say there's not going to be an occasional issue or bug encountered during use.
You can download Chrome Beta from the Play store to take advantage of the new gestures today, or wait for them to be ready for the stable version.