Google is testing an iOS-style navigation feature for Chrome
Talent borrows, genius steals – or so the saying goes. In the world of software, there is certainly a lot of borrowing of ideas, and Google is no stranger to bringing influences from other browsers to Chrome.
The latest example sees Google copying an idea that was implemented by Apple some time ago. Designed to aid navigation, Chrome now has a “predictive back animation” much like the one that was introduced in Android 16 for app navigation. But just what does this latest feature mean for users – and when can you expect to see it?
Google has not announced the rollout of the feature yet, but as a lot of people are starting to see the new animation in the stable version of Chrome for Android, it seems that one of two things is happening. Firstly, it could be that Google is conducting A/B testing, so some users get the new feature and others don’t, allowing the company to gather feedback about who has the better experience.
Secondly, it could be that this is simply a gradual rollout – something which is far from unheard of. This is not something that requires being part of a beta program as it appears to be part of Chrome 138, which is the most recent stabler version of Google’s mobile web browser.
The feature was first spotted by Mishaal Rahman who shared his findings on X.
The idea is a pretty simple one, but it only really benefits users who are fully embedded in gestures – if you’re using the Back button in your browser, you won’t see any difference. If, however, you use a swipe gesture to navigate back to the previous page you were looking at, you’ll see the new animation which lets you peek at a preview of the page you will end up on.
It’s a nice idea, a simple one, and one that can be really beneficial when navigating back and forth as it can be very easy to lose track of where you have visited.#
Chrome in transition
With Google having said nothing about the navigation animation rollout, it is impossible to say how long it could take for everyone to see it. But if you are very keen to start using the feature right away, start by making sure that you have the very latest version of Chrome installed on your Android device.
You can then enable a secret flag to force the browser to use the animation or transition effect. Just head to the following address:
chrome://flags/#back-forward-transitionsSelect Enabled from the drop-down menu and then hit Relaunch to restart Chrome and put the news setting in place.
As noted by both Android Authority and Android Police, the appearance of the animation is not consistent, so you will likely experience it differently in various scenarios. Dallas Thomas notes:
There are slight differences when the last screen you were on wasn’t simply one URL back in your browser history.
For instance, if you launched the page from an external app like your home screen, you’ll get a peek at that screen as you swipe back. If going back would return you to the new tab page, you’ll see a gray screen with the Chrome logo instead. Or if you opened the link in a new tab from a different page in Chrome, no preview at all is shown when swiping to go back.
On the face of things, adding an animation like this seems like a very minor tweak, but it is a small change that can make a big difference. Try it out for yourself and see what you think. We would love to hear what you make of it in the comments below.
Image credit: Juan Roballo / Dreamstime.com
