Google’s Chrome team is currently testing a new feature for the Android version of the browser, namely a new way to reorder tab groups more easily. A tab group allows you to organize your open tabs into collections, which can make them easier to manage and to keep track of.
It’s reported that a reference to the new feature, the experimental tag #tab-strip-group-reorder-android, was found in a preview version of Chrome for Android. MSPowerUser explains that the flag adds a new functionality to this feature that enables you to enter ‘reorder mode’ in the browser by long-pressing the tab group indicators. Once in this mode, you can then drag-and-drop the tab group into a new position.
Previously, you would have had to tap and hold the group name or colored circle of the tab group to do this.
Glimpses for what lies ahead for Chrome
Savvy observers spotted recent Chromium Gerrit changes seemingly related to the new feature, with Chromium being Google’s open source browser project on which many browsers are based on (Chrome included) and Gerrit being a code review tool used by Chromium developers. Here, a message describing the #tab-strip-group-reorder-android flag explains the long-press function that would allow users to reorder tab groups.
The hope is that those of us who get overwhelmed and overrun with tabs can get a handle on them by being able to sort them into groups.
This change follows other recent updates that have made tabs easier to track and manage, including color-coding which allows you to assign colors to a tab group, syncing across devices so you can see tab groups created on other devices with the same Google account, and sharing tab groups with others.
Google Chrome is still the market leader when it comes to browsers – in fact, so much so that US regulators are pressuring Google to spin it off into a separate company. However, I’m glad to see that Chrome developers are continuing to improve the experience for users and I think their efforts are a huge reason why people continue to use Chrome. Since this new long-press feature is already in previews with users, I expect that we’ll see it in an update including it pretty soon.
