Google Chrome for iPhone could soon let you move the address bar from the top of the screen to the bottom, closer to your thumb, similar to Apple’s Safari browser.
Currently, testers can switch between the top and bottom position by pressing and holding the address bar, which reveals an option to switch its position.
If you have the Google Chrome Beta installed on your iPhone, which is available on Apple’s TestFlight software, you can also swap the URL bar’s position by selecting the Top or Bottom option in a new Address Bar section within Chrome’s settings.
Google Chrome for iPhone testing a bottom address bar
MacRumors contributor Steve Moser firt spotted that Google began testing bottom placement for the URL bar in a beta version of Chrome for iOS.
It’s a welcome change that makes using Chrome in one-handed mode more accessible on smartphones with big screens that people predominantly use.
However, it’s unclear whether the change will roll out more widely. Back in 2017, Google tested a bottom URL bar in Chrome for Android. The change didn’t survive the test after Google concluded, based on feedback, that people hated it.
But will the change stick?
Google hopes this time around things will be different. Perhaps newfound optimism has something to do with Apple? In 2021, if you recall, Apple introduced a bottom URL bar in Safari with the iOS 15 beta, making it the default option.
But ss the iPhone maker took the heat for the controersial change, iOS 15 launched to the public with the ability to switch between the top and bottom URL bar. This option, available within the Tabs section in Settings > Safari, provides the choice between the URL bar at the top (Single Tab) or bottom (Tab Bar).