Google Chrome already boasts some of the most robust search features out ofall the browsers available, offering an Omnibox that can correct minor spelling mistakes and suggest surprisingly relevant sites well before you finish typing. Of course, you’d expect this from a browser made by the internet’s biggest search engine, but Google didn’t get to this point by relying on reputation. Now, Chrome is taking another step ahead of the pack with a handful of new search features rolling out today.
What’s new in Chrome 123, Google’s next browser update on deck
Chrome 123 is working hard on feature parity across desktop and Android
Google has announced that Chrome is adding three new search suggestion features that it hopes will give you a “boost of inspiration.” First is an addition to the new tab page on desktop, showing you recommendations based on your past searches right in the search box. If you had previously searched for a certain type of food, you might see examples of similar dishes under a “People also search for” header when clicking this field.
On the mobile side of things, Chrome for Android and iOS is getting more visually expressive with its search suggestions. When shopping for products, Chrome’s Omnibox will now show images of different types of products that are adjacent to your current search, offering an easy way to find similar shopping results that aren’t an exact match for your initial term. Previously, Chrome would only show these images if they were direct matches for your search query.
Lastly, today’s update brings improvements for search suggestions in those times when your phone has spotty reception. Google is improving its on-device capabilities for search suggestions on smartphones and tablets, relying less heavily on data stored across servers. Though the company hasn’t specified exactly which tasks or data are being moved to local storage here, it does note that this will help in Incognito Mode in addition to areas with poor connectivity.
What’s new in Chrome 122: Read Aloud and Help Me Write
Chrome is in for some quality of life improvements in its latest version
These changes come as Chrome 122 moves into the stable channel on Android, iOS, and desktop platforms like Windows and macOS. However, most of these features appear to be server-side updates coming from Google’s end (with the exception of the on-device capabilities, of course), so this update might roll out independently of Chrome version. Either way, Google says these changes are going live today.
