Google has released a new update for Chrome users that will allow users to preview a page before it fully opens. The feature is available on Chrome for Android.
According to 9to5Google, Google Chrome now displays a “Preview page” option as part of the context menu, which appears when users press a long link. The option appears between the address “open in incognito mode” and the address “copy link”. The preview page, as the name implies, displays a preview of the webpage. Users can no longer expand it, however.
There is also a top bar that shows the page name, website and favicon of the website. There is also a special button to open the page as a new tab. Once you have read the preview, you can close it by tapping the “x” button in the top right hand corner. You can also drag the tab down if you prefer gesture controls.
WHICH CAN: Google has finally solved the problem of heavy Chrome memory usage on Windows, macOS and Android
The feature is available through the latest Chrome (version 89) on Android. According to the report, the feature was enabled through a server side update.
That said, Google has been working on preview page capability for more than two years. Back in 2018, XDA developers had seen references to the “sneak peek” option in the pop-up menu in the browser. The feature, however, has not been launched so far. No word on when the iOS version of the app will get the feature.
Chrome’s new feature seems to be extremely useful for users as it allows them to scan the page quickly without the need to tweak them with the tab. Also, users read the preview within the search results instead of switching to another tab or window entirely. It is unclear how it will affect web publishers.