Google Chrome Testing Option to Move Address Bar to Bottom on iOS

Google Chrome is testing an option to let users move the address bar to the bottom of the screen on iOS. This comes nearly two years after Apple shifted Safari’s tab bar to the bottom with iOS 15.

About Chrome’s Change

Chrome’s change is currently in the testing phase in the Testlfight version of the app, as first noted by iOS developer Steve Moser.

How to Enable the New Address Bar Style

The change is optional, and users can switch the address bar style through Settings > Address Bar on Chrome’s test version. If people using the TestFlight version of Chrome can’t see the Address Bar menu, they can do it by enabling the “chrome://flags/#bottom-omnibox-steady-state” flag.

Safari’s Tab Position

Safari also lets users change the tab position through Settings > Safari > Tabs, but the bottom-placed address bar has been the default for two years.

Benefits of the Bottom-Placed Address Bar

Chrome’s change is yet to roll out to all users, but it will be beneficial to people who use both browsers intermittently to get a uniform interface. Also, bottom-placed address bars are easier to access with one hand on large screened devices.

Past Experiments and Discontinuation

Google tried a similar experiment for Chrome on Android in 2020 but eventually discontinued it.