Google Chrome lets iPhone users enjoy bottom address bar

Google Chrome, one of the most popular web browsers, has introduced a new option for iPhone users to move the address bar from the top to the bottom of the screen. This feature, which is currently available only in the beta version of Chrome for iOS, aims to improve the user experience and convenience.

How to enable the bottom address bar on Chrome for iPhone

To enable the bottom address bar on Chrome for iPhone, users need to follow these steps:

• Download and install the latest beta version of Chrome for iOS from TestFlight. You can sign up for TestFlight updates here.
• Open Chrome and type chrome://flags in the address bar. This will open a page with various experimental features that you can enable or disable.
• Search for bottom-omnibox-steady-state in the search box. This is the flag that controls the position of the address bar.

• Tap on the flag and select Enabled from the drop-down menu. Then, tap on Relaunch to restart Chrome with the new setting.
• Go to iOS settings and tap on Chrome. Then, tap on Address Bar and choose Bottom from the options.

You should now see the address bar at the bottom of your screen when you use Chrome on your iPhone.

Why move the address bar to the bottom?

Moving the address bar to the bottom of the screen can have several benefits for iPhone users, such as:

• It can make it easier to reach the address bar with one hand, especially on larger devices like the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
• It can reduce the distance between the address bar and the keyboard, making it faster to type or edit URLs.
• It can make it more consistent with Safari, Apple’s native web browser, which has had a bottom address bar for years.
• It can free up some space at the top of the screen, giving more room for web content.

Is this feature coming to Android devices?

Android users may be wondering if they will also get the option to move the address bar to the bottom on Chrome. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question at this time.

Google has been testing a similar feature called Chrome Duet on Android devices for four years, but it was discontinued in 2020 without any explanation. Chrome Duet allowed users to move not only the address bar, but also other buttons like tabs, home, and menu to the bottom of the screen.

Some Android users have expressed their frustration and disappointment with Google’s decision to remove Chrome Duet, and have requested Google to bring it back or offer an alternative. However, Google has not responded to these requests or given any indication of its plans for a bottom address bar on Chrome for Android.

Therefore, Android users will have to wait and see if Google will ever revive this feature or introduce a new one. In the meantime, they can try other web browsers that already support a bottom address bar, such as Samsung Internet or Opera.