Do you use Google Chrome for iPhone or iPad? If so, keep a close eye on the App Store over the next couple of days.
A brand new version of Chrome for iOS is rolling out with some welcome improvements and new features.
Features that Google say ‘…[make the] latest version [of Chrome] even faster for the things you do every day.’
And they’re not understating it.
New Stuff in Chrome for iOS 42
Take the arrival of the new refresh gestures, for instance.
Having been put in the hands of Android owners last month, it’s the turn of iOS to gain the “pull down to refresh page” gesture.
But unlike the Android version it is able to do more than simply reload a web page on cue.
Pull down and swipe to the left and you can open a new tab. Pull down and swipe to the right and you can close the tab you’re looking at.
Perfect gestures to relieve the one-handed finger aerobics that Chrome previously called for on the super-sized iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Also making its debut is a somewhat useful Today view widget fo the iOS notification center. When added it puts handy oversized action buttons for opening a new tab, starting a voice search and, when a URL is copied to the clipboard, a link to open it.
Chrome for iOS began to show answers to common search queries, like ‘weather in…’, ‘how old is…’, ‘when was…’, etc, in the omni-bar overflow last month. Confusingly Google highlights the feature as being new to this release.
Rounding out the release is support for third-party password managers like 1Password, Dashlane and LastPass, allowing login and other autofill data to be filled in automatically on sites visited in Chrome.
Want to get a thumbs on with all this new stuff? You can install Chrome for free from the App Store on a compatible iPhone or iPad.
Chrome for iOS v42 Key Features At a Glance:
- New Pull to Refresh Gestures
- New Today View Widget
- Answers in Suggest
- Support for third-party password managers (LastPass, etc)