Google Chrome address bar – are you a top or a bottom?

Across all platforms, Google Chrome remains one of the most popular – if not the most popular – web browser. But while the desktop version of the software is versatile, customizable and flexible, the same cannot be said of the mobile apps.

And this is why an announcement made by Google several weeks ago caused a flurry of excitement. On the face of things, the news that it would be possible to move the address bar from its familiar position at the top of the browser may not seem huge, but now that it is rolling out, it is becoming clear that it is actually pretty significant for Android users.

You’d be forgiven for having forgotten about the announcement. Google said last month that the address bar was being made movable, but it is only now that the vast majority of people are starting to see this hitting their device

At the time of the announcement last month, Google said:

It's now possible to customize Chrome on Android by moving your address bar to the bottom of the screen.

Depending on the size of your hand and your device, one address bar position may feel more comfortable than the other. We designed this update to give you the flexibility to choose your preferred location — so you can browse with more ease.

If you’d like to move your address bar, long-press on it and select the "Move address bar to bottom" option. Or just navigate to the Settings menu and select “address bar” to choose your preferred spot.

This feature will begin to appear on devices today and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

Being able to have the address bar at the bottom of Chrome only really makes sense when using the browser in portrait mode, but some users may disagree. Whether or not you find this feature to be useful depends on a number of things.

If you have a device with a very large screen, moving the address bar to the bottom of the screen is useful. The same is true for anyone with small hands. But how you use Chrome and how you browse the web need to be considered too.

You might not make use of the address bar very often, so it may not really matter where it is located. If, however, you are someone who is constantly flicking between tabs or needs to type URLs frequently, having it within easier reach at the bottom is great.

There are, of course, many other factors that may influence your decision about address bar placement. As it is so easy to move – just long-press and select Move address bar to the bottom/top – you can just experiment with positions to see what works best for you.

So, the question remains: are you a top or a bottom?