Google is working on a new link preview feature for Chrome
It will soon be easier to check whether you want to visit a site before you click a link in Chrome. Google is currently working on bringing a new feature called Link Preview to the desktop version its web browser that will give users the ability to check out where a link leads without visiting it.
Development seems to be in the fairly early stages at the moment and while it is not yet possible to try it out, there are documents produced by the company that give a very good idea of how it will look and work.
Google Chrome's PDF viewer is gaining the ability to convert images to text
PDFs are astonishingly useful documents, but some are lazily created. You've almost certainly encountered a PDF file that comprises images of text rather than selected text. This is a serious annoyance if you were hoping to copy text into another document, but it's also a major problem for anyone who is reliant on text-to-speech tools to have document read aloud to them.
Google has some good news for users of Chrome; the browser is gaining the ability to convert images to text in PDFs, OCR-style. There is some bad news, however. This incredibly useful feature is -- at least initially -- not going to be made available to everyone.
Google Password Manager gains new features on desktop and mobile
Today, Google Password Manager, known for its ability to generate and autofill unique passwords, is introducing five new features designed to enhance security, provide helpful functionality, and ensure ease of use. The features vary from platform to platform, with some being new for desktop, while others being new to iOS.
Google Password Manager now boasts a dedicated home within Chrome on desktop platforms, providing users with a centralized location to review all saved online credentials and manage password settings. Users can easily access this feature by clicking on "Password Manager" in the Chrome menu or by selecting "Manage passwords" when prompted by Chrome to autofill a saved password. Additionally, a desktop shortcut for Google Password Manager can now be created for even quicker access.
Chrome now boasts about how much RAM its Memory Saver feature is freeing up
Chrome has long had the unenviable reputation of being a resource hog. This is something that Google has been working on over the years, and one of the most recent improvements has seen the introduction of the Memory Saver feature which puts inactive tabs to sleep to free up RAM.
With the feature enabled, you have just had to trust that it is working -- but now Google has made a change that makes it clear just how much memory is being saved by each tab. And in a future update, the browser will make it even more obvious about just how many resources it has freed up.
Google brings new options to Chrome so you can change the look of the browser
Google has used the latest version of Chrome to give users new ways to personalize the browser with backgrounds, themes and color schemes.
While some options, such as themes and colors, affect the entire browser, others are only visible on the New Tab page -- such as background images. Google says that it I has a wide range of "special artist collections commissioned by Asian & Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Latino, Black and Native American artists", and promises that more are coming later this year.
Google is gearing up for the general availability of Privacy Sandbox APIs in Chrome
Google has been busy working on Privacy Sandbox for some time, and now the company is ready to unleash some of its tools on the public.
Starting with Chrome 115, Google says that it will be making the Privacy Sandbox relevance and measurement APIs available to all users of the browser. The move gives developers a better chance to work with the APIs, and is part of Google’s drive to deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome in the second half of next year.
Microsoft seemingly used a Windows update to interfere with Chrome's 'Make Default' button to push its own Edge browser
Microsoft is no stranger to adopting tactics that are seen by many as being sneaky and underhand -- and now the company has been caught at it again.
Last year, Google made it much easier to change the default web browser to -- surprise, surprise -- Chrome, by introducing a new Make Default button. This one-click option served as a user-friendly alternative to the complicated process Microsoft put in place for changing browsers. But with the release of the KB5025221 update, it seems that Microsoft decided to break this handy feature.
Google is changing the lock icon in Chrome because it believes 'security should be the default state'
Visit a secure website (that is, one that loads over HTTPS) in Chrome, and you'll see a lock icon in the address bar. But this is set to change. Google has announced plans to remove the familiar padlock icon, providing a number of reasons for a decision that many users will regard as a step in the wrong direction.
Among the arguments in favor of removing the icon is that HTTPS is the norm rather than the exception, and that the simple fact a site uses a secure connection is in no way indicative of its inherent trustworthiness.
Google is giving users more control over tab-sleeping Memory Saver feature in Chrome
Google Chrome has a long-held -- and much-deserved -- reputation for being a resource hog. To help counter this the company recently introduced Memory Saver, a feature that reduces the browser's memory consumption by putting inactive tabs to sleep.
This was an addition that went down well with most users, but there were some who were unhappy with the lack of control they had over the feature. This is about to change, with Google working to introduce new settings to gives users more option when it comes to memory management.
Install this emergency update from Google to patch an actively exploited Chrome security flaw
Google has issued an emergency update for Chrome which should be installed as soon as possible to plug a vulnerability known to be under active exploitation. The update is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
In releasing Chrome v112.0.5615.121 for desktop to the stable channel, Google addresses the high severity CVE-2023-2033 as well as issuing other fixes. Described as a "type confusion in V8 in Google Chrome", CVE-2023-2033 is being exploited in the wild, hence the need for the emergency patch.
Google kills off the Chrome Cleanup Tool for Windows
With the release of Chrome 111, Google is waving goodbye to the Chrome Cleanup Tool that has been available for a number of years.
After 8 years of service, Google has decided the Chrome Cleanup Tool -- which, the company explains, helps users to "recover from unexpected settings changes, and to detect and remove unwanted software" -- is simply no longer needed.
Google is working on a feature that reveals how much memory each Chrome tab is using
Having already taken steps to kill off Chrome's reputation as a massive resource hog, Google is now working on a way of showing just how memory is being used by the browser.
The company recently started to roll out a new Memory Saver feature which does very much what the name suggests, and now it seem there are plans in the pipeline to be more transparent about just how much memory each open tab is using.
Google is giving Chrome a new Password Manager -- here's how to enable it
For anyone who struggles to remember the growing list of endlessly complicated passwords needed to gain access to the plethora of online accounts we all now have, a password manager is near-essential. Chrome, like many of the web browsers, has long-featured a tool for storing and automatically entering passwords, and now Google is giving it a much-needed upgrade.
Until now, Chrome's password manager has been functional, but far from being adorned with bells and whistles. Now Google is giving it a new user interface as well as an important injection of new features.
Google is rolling out Memory Saver and Energy Saver features to Chrome users
Chrome may be one of the most widely used web browsers in the world, but along the way it has managed to earn itself a reputation for being something of a bloated resource hog. Now, weeks after initially announcing them, Google is rolling out a pair of new features to help address the problem.
Energy Saver and Memory Saver do very much what their names suggest, helping to reducing battery consumption and memory usage with a range of techniques. Available in Chrome 110, both features can be customized to your liking.
Future versions of Chrome will allow browser extensions to be disabled on a site-by-site basis
In a future update to Chrome, Google will give users the option of having extensions enabled or disabled on a site-by site basis.
This is an option that some browser extensions -- notably ad-blockers -- feature as standard, but the update will expand this so it applies to all add-ons. With a few clicks it will be possible to quickly disable all extensions for a particular site for the purposes of compatibility, privacy or performance.
Recent Headlines
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.