Tabbed Mode for web apps on Chrome is currently an experimental feature
Some PWAs require users to open multiple pages in the same window. Tabbed Mode would effectively nullify current restrictions that disallow web apps from opening multiple tabs in a single browser window. “Currently PWAs in a standalone window can only have one page open at a time. Some apps expect users to have many pages open at once. Tabbed Mode adds a tab strip to standalone web apps that allows multiple tabs to be open at once,” the Chrome Platform Status page says (via XDA). A screenshot posted by a Chrome team member illustrates how this feature would look. It appears fairly similar to standard browser tabs, with the key difference being that all tabs belong to just one web app. Users can try out the new feature with the “enable-desktop-pwas-tab-strip” flag. Given that the feature is considered experimental, it’s likely to be unstable. So we advise users to proceed with caution.
Allowing web apps to function in the same browser window is long overdue. However, users may have to wait a bit longer since the feature is still an experiment. Considering these factors, it’s hard to say when Tabbed Mode will be available via the stable version of Chrome.
Desktop users of Chrome were recently treated to an advanced Google Lens feature
A recent update to the desktop version of Google Chrome finally allowed users to access Google Lens’ AI capabilities without opening a new browser tab. Instead, results will appear in the same browser tab on the right-hand side of the screen. Users simply have to right-click on an image and tap the “Search image with Google Lens” option from the list to get started. You will then have the option to either find the source of the image or scan/translate the text. Google also allows users to choose the part of the image they want to scan. Separately, the search giant is also working on letting users remove the Discover feed from Chrome. This feature will arrive this month as part of Chrome 103.
