Chrome on Android’s new feature is genius, even if you don’t think you need it

On the latest version of Chrome (91) for Android, there’s a new screenshot feature added to the share options. This allows you to quickly share a screenshot of anything in your Chrome browser, no matter the Android device you’re using.

When I first read this on Chrome unboxed, I was unconvinced. Every phone I’ve used in the last 10 years has a way to take screenshots, so why do you need another way? But that’s partly the point. The way phones allow you to take screenshots varies from device to device, even among Android phones.

What this Chrome feature does is provide a way that you know will work on any phone you pick up. Once you’ve taken the screenshot, you can crop and then draw or write over the top of it, in a range of colors and text sizes. Again, nothing new, especially if you are familiar with Apple’s screenshot system on the iPhone, but not all phones do this.

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You can then share the screenshot straight to social media. Once again, not new for some, but a very useful tool. Rather than the screenshot feature being something you need to learn on your new phone, you now know that any Android phone, with the latest version of Chrome installed, has a single way to do it.

To take the screenshot, you simply select the share button from the menu and choose the screenshot option. It’s not a revolution but it is something that you will use time and time again. Soon, you’ll forget that the function wasn’t always there. And that’s the beauty of truly useful functions, they just work. Chrome’s new screenshot function just works.