It was only the other week that we covered Google finally bringing Gemini to Chrome in ChromeOS, but there's some much bigger news today.

In what is arguably the biggest shake-up to the Chrome browser since its launch in 2008, Google is introducing a new feature – auto browse. It is designed to transform the browser into a fully-fledged personal assistant to help you get things done.

Powered by Google’s Gemini 3 model, auto browse isn’t about faster searches, but instead, about putting Chrome in the driving seat to “handle multi-step chores on your behalf”.

What is Chrome auto browse and when can you get it?

Instead of you spending twenty minutes jumping between tabs on Chrome to compare flight prices or fill out a form, auto-browse will be able to complete these tasks for you.

As one example, the company said the feature is able to help you plan a holiday by researching hotel and flight costs across multiple date options for you. It will then suggest a budget friendly option that suits you. It will also be able to do more complex tasks too.

In its blog post, Google said: “Let’s say you’re planning a Y2K theme party and find inspiration in a photo that perfectly captures that era. Auto browse, with the multimodal capabilities of Gemini 3, can identify what’s in the picture, search for similar items and add them to your cart – staying within budget and even applying discount codes.

“And if you give auto browse permission, it can use Google Password Manager to handle tasks even if a sign-in is required.”

The company also revealed that its testers have used the feature for “scheduling appointments, filling out tedious online forms, collecting their tax documents, getting quotes for plumbers and electricians, checking if their bills are paid, filing expense reports, managing their subscriptions and speeding up renewing their driving licenses". Phew.

Essentially, it could be key for completing some of those life admin tasks you put off.

In addition to the auto browse feature, Google has introduced a side panel for Gemini in Chrome, allowing for easier multi-tasking. Connected Apps are also being supported with the update.

It means Gemini will integrate with Gmail, Calendar, YouTube, Maps, Google Shopping and Google Flights to help you get things done quicker.

The new features are rolling out now in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US, across Windows, macOS, and Chromebook Plus.

Sadly, there's no word yet on when they might arrive in the UK, but we're hoping it'll be soon.

Mac owners could lose Chrome updates as Google has confirmed that it will soon be ending support for an older version of macOS. That would see the owners of some older Mac models without support and security patches going forward.

That won't affect owners of recent Mac models, as Google has said (via 9to5Google) that "Chrome 150 is the last version of Chrome that will support macOS 12 (Monterey)". When Chrome 151 comes out in late July 2026, users will need to make sure that they are running macOS 13 or later to continue using the latest version of Chrome.

Apple's macOS 13 was released in October 2022 and is supported on Mac models from around 2017 and 2018 onwards, including MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, Mac mini and Mac Pro.

If you have a Mac model from around 2015, you might find that you are no longer able to update Chrome. Google has confirmed that older versions of Chrome will still work, but there will be no updates. That might mean users miss out on new features, but it's the lack of new security updates that is of more concern.

For those who aren't certain whether they can update their Mac, then the first step is to check the settings. Tap the Apple button then open the System Settings. Tap on General and Software Update. This will tell you if there's an update available for your Mac.

Apple has a listing of all the models that are compatible with macOS 13 Ventura.

You might have already lost security updates on your Mac

There's a bigger problem here that likely affects you though: if you're still running macOS 12, then support for your operating system has also ended, which means you're not getting security updates.

It's likely that your Mac is rather slow compared to the experience on more recent models and if you're online a lot, then you'll be more exposed to risks. The reality is that it might be time to consider a replacement model.

That doesn't mean you have to rush out and get the latest MacBook Pro. Instead I'd recommend looking at the models that Apple offers through its own refurbished programme, or consider an older model from a refurbished specialist, such as Back Market.

But check the prices carefully, as some models might be close to the price of discounted new models, so definitely shop around.

Apple announced its latest iPhones at the beginning of September with all four models released last week. But it wasn't just the new phones that arrived – the company also released the final build of its latest software, iOS 26.

There are a number of features that come with the new operating system, including Visual Intelligence that helps you do more with screenshots, and the ability to change the snooze time on your alarm. But the biggest change is the new Liquid Glass design.

Offering a whole new look, Liquid Glass is designed to mimic layers of glass and can be found on the iPhone's home screen, as well as across all the native apps.

However, the first third-party app to take on the new look might come as a bit of a surprise.

Google's Chrome has a new look ahead of other apps

Google's Chrome has adopted Liquid Glass in its latest version (via 9to5Google).

Chrome for iPhone already has a couple of different features compared to the Android version, but the Liquid Glass look changes a number of elements.

Icons at the top have transitioned to being overlaid across the top of the content rather than occupying their own section. It means the search icon, incognito, new tab and tab groups all sit within a more transparent bar with rounder corners.

The Edit and Done buttons at the bottom of Chrome have also transitioned to the new style, allowing for more content to fit on the screen.

Context menus have also had an update with slightly more rounded corners too, but more importantly, the background doesn't get blurred, allowing you to see what you were looking at while you choose from the menu you have pulled up.

For now, Chrome is the first and only Google app to adopt the Liquid Glass design, but hopefully the others will follow soon. You'll need Chrome for iPhone version 141 to see the changes.

There's a chance if you are an iPhone user that you use Apple's native Safari app for browsing and haven't thought to move away – it's the default after all. And in its defence, it has come along way in the last few years with plenty of clever features added.

One of those – and a personal favourite of mine – is the ability to create profiles so you can differentiate between work and personal browsing, for example. I have seven in total, allowing me to switch between different browsing history and tabs quickly depending on what I am doing, keeping everything separate and organised.

But if you are someone who enjoys using Google's rival browser, Chrome, that is getting the ability to switch between personal and work profiles too. The feature, which was spotted by The Verge, will allow you to keep browsing data like tabs, history and passwords separate between your two accounts.

The Verge also said that IT admins would be able to access security reports and restrict browsing when you are in the work profile.

Switching between the profiles will be a simple affair too, requiring a tap on the account icon in the top right and choosing the profile you want to browse with from there.

But not everyone can get it

Unfortunately, there is a catch – and it's a fairly big one. This feature will only be available as part of Google's enterprise software package. So if you aren't an enterprise user, you won't have the ability to switch between two Google accounts in Chrome. You might in that case be better off sticking with Safari for now.

In addition, as far as I understand, only one work and one personal account are supported at present.

It's worth noting though, that Android users also don't currently have the option to switch to a work profile from within the Chrome app at all – and that applies whether you're an enterprise user or not.

Google Discover could be able to make the leap from your phone screen to your desktop, with users in Australia and New Zealand finding the curated stories on their Google homepage.

Google Discover emerged in 2018, replacing Google Feed, which had evolved out of the Google Now launcher dating all the way back to 2012. For most people, Google Discover sits off the side of the home screen on their Android device, meaning you can swipe into a curated selection of stories.

It’s an AI-driven service that learns from your search and browsing behaviour across Google and Chrome, so when you land on it, you’ll find stories relevant to your interests. For me that’s always a selection of tech stories, as I spend so much time on pages about tech.

Google has offered some sort of feed for many years, as it also lurks in the Google app on your phone. This applies both on Android and iPhone, giving Google a route to including some sort of Discover feed on iOS devices too.

You might also encounter it if you use Chrome on your iPhone, whenever you open a new browser page.

And it's this kind of experience that's also seemingly coming to desktop.

The details emerge from Android Authority, after reports of the addition surfaced with users in Australia and New Zealand. For those in other areas, the feature doesn’t appear to be live yet, but you can try it yourself here: https://www.google.com/?gl=nz

I managed to get it working and found a selection of stories that fit my normal search and reading patterns. In addition to stories from familiar titles, I spotted a sponsored entry in there too, which is presumably how Google is going to use this to make money.

In addition there’s an “at a glance” section to the right if there’s space in your browser window, with options for finance, sport and weather.

Why has Discover taken so long to come to desktop?

Why it's taken until now to arrive is a question that only Google can answer, but it might have something to do with the changes happening in how Google presents search results. When you search for something you’re often presented with an AI Overview. It might be that Google is looking for a way to serve up more natural results before you start the process right on your Google home screen.

I tested it on Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers and found that Google Discover only appeared in Chrome, which makes sense. But the question is how many people actually head to the Google home page? I often put my queries straight into the search bar in a tab that’s already open.

I also have Chrome open on a set of pages I know I’ll use, so I don’t often see the Google search page directly.

That might not be a barrier, however: Microsoft has been feeding stories onto its home page for years in the guise of MSN. Google Discover will likely bring more clicks to those stories that get highlighted on desktop meaning there’s another distraction for those online.

There’s no word on wider rollout as yet, but I can’t see any reason why it won’t happen quickly.

Just before CES 2025 kicked off earlier this month, Samsung and Google put out a press release announcing the launch of Eclipsa Audio.

Described as "immersive audio for everyone", it's an audio format that has been developed by the two tech giants, plus a few other contributors from the Alliance for Open Media.

The idea is to offer an open source spatial audio format for the masses, and by being based on Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF) and released under the AOM royalty-free license, Eclipsa Audio files can be created by anyone.

Google said in a blog post, that the creation of the Eclipsa Audio files support a range of workflows and there are also audio tools available to help, as well as an open source reference renderer. It's also possible to test Eclipsa Audio files in your browser using the Binaural Web Demo Application.

At the time of the Eclipsa Audio announcement, it was revealed that it would be possible to upload videos with Eclipsa Audio tracks onto YouTube, and Samsung also revealed at the electronics trade show that the technology would be integrated into its 2025 TV line up.

What else is happening with Google and Samsung's Eclipsa Audio?

However, there's further expansion plans too – Google has also revealed the format will be coming to the Chrome browser and Android devices.

Spotted by 9to5Google, the Open Source Google blog post said: "Later this spring we will release a free Eclipsa Audio plugin for AVID Pro Tools Digital Audio Workstation.

"We also plan to bring native Eclipsa Audio playback to the Google Chrome browser as well as to TVs and soundbars from multiple manufacturers later in 2025.

"Eclipsa Audio support will also arrive in an upcoming Android AOSP release; stay tuned for more information."

As you can see, there isn't a definitive timeline for the arrival of Eclipsa Audio on the Chrome browser or Android as yet, but at least we know it will be sometime this year. The format was only revealed a few weeks ago and it already seems to be making waves (see what we did there) so watch this space.

When Samsung announced its flagship smartphones at the beginning of this year, there was one particular feature that stole headlines alongside Galaxy AI. 

If you visited London at any point during the Galaxy S24 series launch, you may have seen the "Circle to Search" advertising on the Tube (confusing everyone wanting to travel on the Circle line). However, the feature itself, which leans on Google's AI, was brilliant. 

Circle to Search allows you to draw a circle around anything on your phone's screen in order to search for it, or things related to it, whether that's a pair of kicks your mate is wearing in their latest Instagram post or a plant you want to check is puppy-friendly. The feature uses the power of Google Lens to identify what you have circled and serve up relevant results.

Using the power of Google Lens is key here as while Samsung was the first to show off this wizardry, the Circle to Search feature has since arrived on Pixel phones, other Android devices and even iOS. And it's now available on Google Chrome, too. 

Google announced the Circle to Search equivalent feature – Drag to Search – would be arriving on Chomeboooks and Chrome desktop in a blog post at the beginning of August and that feature is now here (spotted by 9to5Google). The update means you can select, search and ask questions about anything you see on the web without having to leave the tab you're on. 

How to use Drag to Search on Chrome

How do you do it? Well, thankfully it is nice and easy. Make sure you're on the latest version of the Chrome browser and you should see a Google Lens icon when you click the address bar at the top of a window. 

Tap on it and then click and drag over whatever you want to search for.

You can also right-click on an image and tap on 'Search with Google Lens' from the drop down menu, or you can tap on the three dots in the address bar and tap 'Search with Google Lens' if you don't see the Google Lens icon.

Search results will appear in the side panel to the right of your screen and there's a search bar at the top to allow you to refine your search. Simple.  

We've all been there. You're sitting there of an evening, an the urge comes over you. The urge, of course, to search for something completely deranged. It's a natural urge, of course, and part of our desire to understand the weird and wonderful facets of the world around us.

Those oddball searches aren't something you want lurking on your Google search history, though. Fortunately, a new update to the Google Search app is making it easier than ever for Android phone users to hide their search history.

That comes thanks to the Incognito mode. It's certainly not a new feature, with the app having offered a private browsing experience for years. 

What has changed now is the introduction of a more prominent button in the app. When you enter a search term, a 'Chrome Incognito' button appears above your keyboard.

Tapping on that instantly changes your tab over to an Incognito version, to keep your browsing private. The first time you tap on that, you'll see a little pop up appear telling you all about what the Incognito mode offers. It's a fairly boilerplate rundown, and will be familiar to anyone who has used the mode before.

Still, it's a handy feature to have. I can think of loads of times where I've started researching a topic, only to have a change of heart and redo it in a private tab. That's now much quicker and easier.

It's a great feature, and should offer users some added peace of mind when it comes to privacy. Having the ability to shield your searches is a useful feature, and should allay some concerns.

It's a nifty new update for the brand, ahead of what looks set to be a busy week. They're expected to launch a range of new products at the Made by Google event on Tuesday, with a host of new Google Pixel 9 phones expected to take centre stage.

Android and Chrome have always gone hand in hand, linked together by your Google account and giving you an almost seamless experience across devices. But Chrome isn't just a browser, it's something bigger, spawning Chrome OS and delivering plenty of innovative features centred around Google Search.

When Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 family in early 2024, the headline feature was Galaxy AI. But it was another feature leaning on Google's AI that gained notoriety - Circle to Search. This clever feature lets you search anything on your phone's screen, using the AI-backed power of Google Lens to identify what's on the screen and deliver relevant search results.

Although Samsung was first to showcase this feature, it was soon added to the Pixel phones and enabled on other Android and even iOS devices. Now, this feature is going to be coming to Chromebooks, while it's also available in Chrome too.

According to 9to5Google, it's going to be drag to search, letting you highlight anything in your browser and search for it. When using a Chromebook, you'll get a Google Lens icon appear and you can tap that and drag a box out to highlight an item that will then be identified by Google Lens.

9to5Google says it's also coming to the regular Chrome browser, but there's already a feature that will do essentially the same thing so this is likely to be more of a refinement than a new feature in its own right.

How to search with Google Lens on Chrome

Ok, so it's not called Circle to Search, it's actually just a quick route to Google Lens in Chrome, so you can use the smart AI power of Google in any Chrome browser. You don't need a new version or a beta version, it works already.

1. Right click on any image
2. Select "Search image with Google"
3. A side panel will open with the results

It's as simple as that, but there is a lot happening in the side panel that's worth exploring. Firstly, you have the option to search, select the text or translate, just the same way that Google Lens does on your phone. This changes the results you get under the image in the sidebar.

Secondly, you can drag the selection around to focus on what you're interested in. If you don't want the entire image, but just a part of that image, you can drag the corners to focus on that. That is essentially same Drag to Search offering that's said to be coming to Chrome.

Finally, if you want to know more about the image, you can click "find image source". This will tell you where Google has found that image online. It's a great way to do a quick fact check on something, such as a news story you're reading. If you're seeing the same image used in a lot of places, it usually tells you who used it first, so that's likely to be the original and more reliable source.

So – Circle to Search – or a Drag to Search – feature looks to be coming to Chrome and Chrome OS, giving you that easy searching that's offered on Android, but if you're a Chrome user, you can already get access to that powerful Google Lens searching right now.

It's hard to argue with the sheer popularity of the iPhone. While the market for alternatives continues to grow and expand, Apple remain a go-to option for a wide array of users.

Part of that allegiance comes from a continuous stream of updates and upgrades for the devices. That's exactly what we have here today, with an update for those using Google Chrome on their handsets.

According to the folks over at Mac Observer, there's a new feature destined for the app on iPhone devices. They spotted a flag named "Quick Delete for iOS" in a piece of code, suggesting that could be arriving shortly.

For the unaware, Quick Delete is a feature which already exists for users of Android phones. That enables users to delete all of the browsing data from their last 15 minutes of use.

That's a nifty feature. Say, for example, you were shopping for a gift for a loved one. By being able to delete all of that data with a single tap, you can minimise the chances of letting the cat out of the bag.

There is currently no indication of when the feature will be rolled out to users. However, given that it has appeared already, we can certainly see it coming soon. 

When it does, expect a staggered release. These kinds of updates tend to come slowly, with brands opting to dip a toe in the water, rather than revealing everything in one go. That's a good thing, though, as it allows brands to ensure the update is stable, before it hits a wider user base.

Still, when it does arrive, it will certainly be a welcome addition. The ability to quickly get rid of that data is handy, saving users time. When it does finally hit the devices of Apple fans, we'll be ready and waiting. 

Google Chrome is the world's most popular browser, so when it gets new features added it's a big deal. If you're one of the millions of us who use the Chrome mobile browser then you might have noticed a few recent changes. 

Google has introduced a quartet of new features to its mobile browser designed in its own words "to help you quickly find what you’re looking for" sounds good to us.  But what exactly are they? 

First is the new "related to this page" section. When on an applicable site (on Chrome or iOS) you can tap the URL bar to receive search suggestions relevant to the information on your current webpage under a new "related to this page" tab. Google uses the example of booking a trip to Tokyo and then tapping on the bar to provide search queries such as "Japan tourist attractions" and "Things to do in Tokyo." A pretty nifty time save.

Android users are ahead of iOS owners for the next feature (it is reportedly coming to iOS soon), trending searches. Simply click on the search bar in an empty tab and scroll down to receive a list of the trending topics. Those using Google's operating system are also treated to a new feature for the "Touch to search" tool (when you highlight a certain word or phrase you want to pick out. Now, when you do so, you'll also receive a list of related searches on the bottom of the screen.

Perhaps the biggest upgrade is one that Android already has but is now rolling out to iOS. If you have an iPhone, you might already have noticed it. When searching on Chrome you'll now receive 10 suggestions instead of the previous six. That's almost double the Googling power!

Jokes aside, while these may not be life-changing updates, it's great to see Google isn't resting on its laurels, and small changes do add up. With Bing's ChatGPT-powered search propelling it to brand-new levels of popularity, Google needs to keep working to stay ahead of the pack.

We're a long way from the browser wars of the 1990s when Internet Explorer and Netscape battled for supremacy, and chances are that when you log on now you're either using Edge, Chrome or on Macs, Safari: while rival browsers such as Firefox and Opera are excellent, they don't have the big browsers’ market share. And in all honesty Arc probably won’t either, but if you’re looking for a Chrome or Safari rival it’s an attractive and interesting app.

Arc has been invite-only for ages, but now it’s finally available to everybody on macOS and iOS: all you need to do is download it from arc.net and (if you want to) transfer your bookmarks and other data from your current web browser.

So why would you want to?

What's so great about the Arc browser?

Arc isn’t just about viewing web pages. It’s about organising your online life, so the app is a little bit of everything. It’s very customisable via themes, it has a useful split screen view and its take on the familiar sidebar is useful and interesting. Instead of having separate sidebars for tabs and for bookmarks, Arc mixes them up in the same section to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. 

The big idea here is called Spaces, which enables you to quickly switch between multiple spaces in the same browser. Each space can have its own coloured sidebar and its own set of user accounts, which is great for anyone who does work and personal stuff on the same device or who just likes to keep different kinds of sites and services separate. 

You can also customise the way websites work, removing bits of pages and customising the colours and fonts to suit yourself. There's also a built-in ad blocker.

I don’t think this is a browser for beginners, as friendly as the startup screens are: it does take a bit of getting used to, and as a version 1.0 product you should expect bugs, crashes and all the other joys of early access software. But if you’re looking for a more privacy-protecting alternative to Chrome or a more up-to-date alternative to Safari it’s a really interesting and potentially very powerful way to go online, and it’ll be really interesting to see how it develops.

Despite creating the incredible Chrome dinosaur game, Google's gaming pedigree is mixed. Its cloud gaming service, Google Stadia, died in January this year and had been on life support long before then. Now, Google has the gaming itch once again. This time utilising one of its biggest existing brands, YouTube.

According to the Wall Street Journal Testing is reportedly underway for so-called YouTube 'Playables'. It may seem a slightly left-field entry into gaming but maybe this is a better idea. YouTube does already have plenty of gaming creators with massive audiences, and its own YouTube Live streaming service which is again dominated by gaming. 

So what exactly is a Playable? Well, it seems like the Playables service will feature a host of mobile-style games (the Playables) that can be played in the YouTube browser and easily shared with friends. Initial tests are for a Breakout-style game called Stack Bounce, which is not exactly innovative. 

This seems a much more mobile and casual-friendly approach than Stadia. Think less Tears of the Kingdom and more Farmville or Angry Birds. It sounds a bit like Netflix's game offerings, I predict serious gamers will likely be sticking to traditional platforms for now.

It may sound almost like an extension of the Google Play Store but the Playables will be based on YouTube itself (like the Chrome dinosaur game) and able to play without downloading anything on mobile and desktop. Google has been tight-lipped about Playables so far, so there is little to go on in terms of monetisation of these games. Will they be completely free, supported by ads or have microtransactions? Perhaps they could be included as an extra incentive in YouTube Premium.

Of course, if people are to use this service, Google will need to make sure that the games themselves are fun to play. Hopefully, it will invite developers of some of the best Android apps to create their own Playables. It may be game over for Stadia but with Playables combined with the Google Play Games for PC platform, perhaps the company has an extra life in the gaming world. 

If you have one of the best Android phones, an Android tablet or a Chromebook, or you use the Chrome browser on your PC, Mac, iPhone or iPad, then Google has good news for you. It's made some serious improvements to the Chrome browser that will make your internet faster, your battery life longer and your hair glossier. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Writing in the official Google blog, group product manager Mark Chang explains that the new performance settings mean that the browser uses "up to 40% and 10GB less memory to keep your tabs running smoothly, and extends your battery when it’s running low."

How does Chrome make your internet faster?

If you're like us you probably browse the web with lots of tabs open in the background. The new Memory Saver feature frees up memory from all of those tabs without actually closing them, and that means the active tab gets a bigger share of your system's memory. More memory means faster rendering and better performance in web apps.

The second new feature kicks in (if you want it to) when your battery charge drops to 20%. When that happens, Energy Saver kicks in and starts to throttle things you don't really need, such as activity happening in the background and unnecessary visual effects such as animations and videos on websites. 

Both features will be available under the familiar three-dot menu icon, but they might not be there immediately: the features are rolling out not just to Chrome users on Android but to Windows, Mac and iOS users too, with Google promising that the rollout will be complete within the next few weeks. 

Almost a year after it was first leaked, six months after it was officially revealed, and weeks after its intended summer release, Google has finally begun rolling out a major redesign for Android Auto.

Codenamed ‘Coolwalk’, the update includes a complete revamp of how the smartphone-powered car infotainment system looks on dashboard displays. The new interface features an application dock similar to that on Android phones and Chrome laptops, and the whole interface scales to neatly fit on displays of any size and aspect ratio.

Renders of the updated interface show how the new Android Auto can display a map with navigation instructions, an incoming message, and what music is currently playing, all at once. Each of these applications has its own ‘card’, with the number and size of cards depending on the dimensions and shape of the vehicle’s infotainment display.

The interface also has space for a tool bar with the time, phone signal strength and an icon for the number of unread notifications, plus the aforementioned application dock and buttons for quickly accessing the app library and Google Assistant for voice control.

How these elements are arranged depends on the size and shape of your car’s dashboard display. Smaller screens will show less information at once, while different aspect ratios will alter the layout of the interface.

Although the months-long delay without updates from Google wasn’t ideal, it looks like the company has done a good job of polishing the new Android Auto interface. It’s a similar look to that of Apple’s CarPlay system, which is also undergoing a major update of its own, due towards the end of 2023. For now, it looks like Google is back in the game with its new Android Auto UI, and we’re keen to try it out for ourselves.

On that note, the new Android Auto is currently only available in beta form. This is available for anyone with a compatible phone to download and install, but as ever it’s worth remembering that beta software is unfinished and can contain bugs that affect how well it works.

Google's been busy of late: not only have its engineers been updating Android for the best Android phones, but there have been some important changes to the Chrome browser, too.

And now the latest version of Google Chrome has even better search capabilities, and crucially for this time of year, they can help you see if you've found the best Black Friday deals too.

The first new feature is a new Open Search In Side Panel option in the address bar. This enables you to see your search results and keep them on screen even as you move from page to page, making it easy to compare results. It's particularly useful for popular search terms where the content doesn't always live up to the headline; you can banish clickbait without lots of back-and-forwards browsing. Whenever you click a search result in the panel, it'll open in the current tab.

Price checking arrives in plenty of time for Black Friday

I really like the new Track Price feature. As the name suggests, this enables you to track the price of a product across multiple online stores, and you'll then get emails alerting you of price drops. If you're hoping to get a Black Friday bargain on a specific product this could come in really handy.

The price tracking feature has been in mobile versions of Chrome for a while, but it's now rolling out to the desktop. You'll need to be signed into your Google Account in order to use it; if you aren't, your browser won't know what email address to send price alerts to.

The price tracker doesn't appear to have rolled out fully yet, but it shouldn't take long to appear: Google is pushing its shopping features very strongly now because it wants you to stay on Google right until you find the specific product you want to buy.

It's a fact that Samsung Galaxy Tabs are among the very best Android tablets you can buy, with everything from budget models like the Galaxy Tab S6 to premium high-end options like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, delivering fantastic slate experiences.

However, Samsung Galaxy tablets have just got even better thanks to an update from Google. This is because, as detailed on the official Google blog, a brand new Google Chrome update has just been unlocked and it brings with it a series of new features for Galaxy Tab users.

There are 5 new features of note. This is what they are and what they improve.

1. It's now easier to find tabs

Google Chrome on Samsung Galaxy tablets now has new design features that make navigating and finding tabs easier. There's a new auto-scroll back feature that helps Galaxy Tab users swipe through tabs, while the 'close tab' button is now removed if it gets too small to prevent accidental tab closing. If a tab is closed by accident, though, then a new one-step restore feature lets that tab be recalled immediately.

2. A visual grid for tabs has been introduced

To help users find a tab immediately based on sight, a new tab grid has just been unlocked, too, on Google Chrome on Samsung Galaxy tablets. This grid shows miniature versions of all tabs at once, meaning a collection of tabs can be shown at one time and then the right option picked without having to scroll through tabs for visual thumbnails.

3. Drag and drop functionality is now available

Samsung Galaxy tablet users can now drag and drop images, text and even links out of Google Chrome and drop them into other applications, including Gmail, Google Photos and Google Keep, among others. This helps Tab users more easily share or store images and information naturally on their Android tablet.

4. Always-on desktop mode now selectable

It's fair to say that the tablet version of many websites is right down the pecking order in terms of useability and features when compared to desktop or mobile. That's why this new update has brought the ability for Galaxy Tab users to make 'desktop mode' in Google Chrome always-on by default. This means that websites will always show their desktop format when browsing. This sounds especially useful for Galaxy Tab users with large slates, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+, which work well as 2-in-1 tablet-desktop hybrids.

5. Finally, tab groups are coming soon, too

Tab groups is a feature that has been available on desktop for a while, but Google has also confirmed in this update that it is coming to Android tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab range soon. Tab groups let users group tabs together for better organization and faster access to clusters of related tabs.

One of my favourite things about the iPhone 14 Pro is its Lock Screen: the always-on display features the same widgets as other iPhones running iOS 16, but they’re always there for fast access and instant info. At first they were primarily an Apple affair, but the number of third-party widgets is increasing by the day – and now Google's getting in on the act with a selection of really useful widgets for those of us who don't use Apple apps for everything.

Google announced the widgets last month but they've started to roll out today. The Google Maps one isn't here yet, which is mildly annoying as that's the one I want most for my Driving focus Lock Screen, but there are plenty of others to stick on your Lock Screen.

What new widgets does Google offer on the iPhone?

Last week updated the Chrome and Drive apps with new widgets, and this week's ones add widgets for some of the most-used Google apps including Gmail and Google News. The Gmail widget comes in circular, rectangular and inline text formats so you can get the information you want in the style that you want it.

The Google News widget is slightly different, as it's only available as a rectangular widget to display a single news headline; tap on it and your iPhone will take you to that story in the Google News app. I'm not a huge fan of news widgets as they tend to show stories I'm not remotely interested in. 

There's no dedicated Search widget yet, but you can use the Chrome widget as a workaround: one of its widgets enables you to search Google in Chrome. And if you're bored you can launch Chrome's famous Dino Game, which usually turns up on the desktop Chrome browser when your internet connection's packed in. But the search widget should be worth waiting for: as Google showed us last month, it'll enable you to configure the widget to search with voice or camera rather than text.

Google hasn't given us a release date for these widgets yet but the pace of the other releases suggest it's a matter of days or weeks rather than months. 

I know, I know, it's 'just a browser'. But the most recent Google Chrome update brings a genuinely exciting new feature that I'm convinced everyone will want to use – and, of course, it's totally free to download. 

I'm talking about tab groups. Hear me out here, as I know the name isn't exactly thrilling and there have been iterations of this available for some time. But if you're the kind of user who ends up with dozens of tabs littering your Chrome window then this new feature is your perfect tidy-up solution to help you keep more organised. No longer will you have to stare at all your tabs all at once. 

It's super simple to use: (Windows users) simply right click on an open tab > select 'add group to tab' > 'new group' > then name your group > select a colour > press Esc to finish. 

You can then add additional tabs by right-clicking other open tabs and adding them to new or existing group tabs. Once you have multiples in a group you can collapse it and only the name and colour will show in the top tabs bar. Genius, I tell you. I can finally banish all these spreadsheets from permanent eyeshot.

Even if you're a chronic Ctrl + Tab user, as I am – this, if you don't know, skips between tabs from left to right – this will bypass collapsed group tabs to further streamline your workflow. Open groups present what's within that grouping by showing an underline of that group's selected colour, which is visually very handy indeed.

Google Chrome update: What else is new?

This Chrome update brings a few more bells and whistles too. You can easily check out the official Google page for the latest info. 

See that little drop arrow towards the top right (by close, restore down, minimise)? That there is your full tabs drop-down menu. And it contains a search. So you can easily search all open tabs if you have that many open and cannot find what you're looking for. Ctrl+Shift+A is a shortcut to that, if you prefer.

That's not the new bit, though, it's that tabs are now grouped by type within here. So if you're looking for an open video chat in browser, a recently closed window, or one of your currently open webpages, it's all grouped. 

It's the little things, eh? I, for one, am super glad this Google Chrome update dropped. It'll make me less reluctant to delay deploying cool free updates in the future, that's for sure. 

It's a day ending in "y", and that means there's a new Google feature to play with. Today's one is a handy new feature for Chrome users: if you're using the browser on a PC, Mac or Chromebook there's a useful new shortcut that enables you to search key information – your bookmarks, your browsing history or your eleventy billion open tabs – from the Address Bar. The feature is in Chrome 106, which is now available.

The feature isn't on by default, but enabling it takes seconds. All you need to do is enter this flag in the address bar:

chrome://flags/#omnibox-site-search-starter-pack

And that's it.

How to use the new search feature in Google Chrome

As 9to5google reports, once you've enabled the feature it couldn't be easier to use. Simply type @history, @tabs or @bookmarks and press space, and the Address Bar will automatically change to Search History, Search Tabs or Search Bookmarks.

The new feature is part of Chrome Actions, which enable you to type commands such as "clear browsing data" into the address bar and have the browser take you to the correct page. Chrome Actions are a big part of the forthcoming address bar (Google calls it the Omnibox) redesign, and will make it easier to access key settings and information by typing commands into the search field.

I'm a big fan of keyboard shortcuts like this: when you're using your device for work it's often much faster to type a command or press a keyboard combination than to wade through menu options. The new feature might not seem like a big deal, but it could be a pretty big time saver.

If you go down to Google Image Search today, you're in for a big surprise – or at least, you are if you're using the Chrome browser. The same Google Lens searching that's already in Android is in the Chrome browser too, and should be coming to other browsers soon (I checked in Safari and it's not available as yet).

This change is because, according to 9to5Google, "Google Lens is now the main visual search experience on the desktop Google Images website."

I've been using Google Image Search regularly since day one, and this is a really big upgrade: as you can see in the image below it makes it easy to find related images as well as identify where an image may have come from or been republished on. 

Why Google Lens is a great upgrade

The new image search option is a simple icon between the existing voice and search icons. And if you're a Chrome user, you can also take advantage of Search Image With Google Lens, which is in the right-click menu.  This opens up a sidebar with key information and matches, so for example if you right-click on a photo of a dog it'll tell you the breed and show other matching images. It's quite similar to the Siri Knowledge you get in the iPhone 13 photos app, and of course it's there in Google Photos on Android too. 

There's more to Google Lens too. Lens.google.com also has OCR (optical character recognition) and translation tools that make it really useful when you encounter images with text you need to re-use, or that is in a language that you don't know.

If you'd rather keep things old-school don't worry: the old Google Image Search interface hasn't gone away. All you need to do is click on Find Image Source and you'll be taken to the familiar blue links and image results. 

I do hope this comes to Safari soon: it's a real boon for anyone who spends a lot of time trying to track down specific images or identify where images came from. And using your own photos as a source often takes you down interesting rabbit holes via Google's suggested matches.

If you use one of the best iPhones or best iPads and are also a fan of Google's Chrome web browser then we've got good news for you.

That's because Google has announced a pretty sweet upgrade for Chrome for iOS and iPadOS, giving users an even better reason to download an alternative to Apple's Safari.

The update, available to download now, makes one of the best browsers even better by adding some much-needed features.

Traditionally, Apple has made it rather difficult to use anything besides the default Safari, but that isn't stopping Google from trying.

Starting with iOS 14, Apple has introduced a way to select the default browser that was a big boost for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, and other third-party alternatives.

Let's take a look at the five new features.

Enhanced Safe Browsing 

The biggest one of the bunch involves privacy, something Google has increasingly been focusing on as the European Union and other regulatory bodies question its relatively data-hungry practices. 

Already a feature on Chrome else, Enhanced Safe Browsing does what it says on the tin: protection from malware, phishing, and other web-based threats while you browse. 

Chrome will predict and warn users about potentially dangerous websites and will scan for compromised passwords and usernames. It's a pretty neat and useful feature. 

Autofill passwords 

If you're locked into the Chrome ecosystem (ie, you use it on desktop), then this is a great feature: the ability to autofill passwords. 

It takes a little bit more work, but head to Settings > Passwords > Autofill Passwords and select Chrome as the default option.  

Find new things

If you've spent some time away from Chrome, the update makes it easier to quickly and easily surface new content, just by starting a new search, expanding on the ability to sync bookmarks and tabs across different versions of Chrome. 

Get this: Google has released the feature on iOS first and says it will come to Android in the future. 

Translate websites 

Using machine learning smarts, Google will automatically begin to translate websites into your preferred languages, opening up huge swathes of the web to easy reading. 

Google says it has been working on detecting websites that need to be automatically translated, leading to a higher rate of successful translations. 

Chrome Actions 

Finally, Google has teased the release of Chrome Actions on iOS, letting you quickly trigger an action from Chrome's address bar. 

Actions include things like clearing browser data, opening an incognito tab, and setting Chrome as the default browser. 

After a while, the Chrome address bar will even begin to predict relevant actions that might help you out. 

Google says Actions will be rolling out in the coming weeks. 

Apple's iTunes App Store has a new dominant force as Google's Chrome browser makes the jump to iPhone and iPad with a chart topping success

Just days after being released, Google's iOS Chrome browser app has stormed to the top of the Apple iTunes App Store, lining up as the top free iPhone and iPad app.

Allowing users of Apple's iconic iDevices to bring their web-based Chrome browsing experience to their smartphone and tablet devices, the Google Chrome iOS app was officially launched during Google's I/O developer convention earlier this week.

Landing alongside the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and Google's first own-branded tablet, the Nexus 7, the Chrome iOS app is the search giant's latest app-based attack on Apple's iOS platform following on from the likes of Google Maps, Google Earth the company's own social network Google+.

Having risen to challenge Microsoft's longstanding Internet Explorer to the crown of the world's most used web browser, Chrome for iOS bring a selection of unique gesture controls and screen formatting options to the iPhone and iPad whilst allowing users to sync tabs, bookmarks and passwords from their PC browser.

Are you an iPhone or iPad owner? Have you filled your Apple branded device with the new free to download Google Chrome app? Let us know via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Via: TechRadar