Google Chrome just got a big upgrade for iPhone and iPad — What You Need to Know

Google Chrome just got a big upgrade for iPhone and iPad — What You Need to Know

Google has released a new version of its Chrome browser for iPhone and iPad.

As part of the version 90.0.4430.78 update that landed in the App Store on May 10, Chrome is the most recent Google app to drop a set of custom-made home screen widgets.

Last year, iOS 14 introduced widgets to the iPhone for the first time, and they quickly became a mainstay of the user experience. Google has been quite slow to update its iOS apps, sometimes lagging behind in adding support for certain features.

The same goes for widgets: Google is still adding widgets to its iOS apps nearly a year after iOS 14 was introduced. a nifty selection of Google's new home screen widgets allows iPhone and iPad users to quickly view upcoming calendar appointments quickly, facilitate web browsing, and much more.

After installing the latest Chrome update on an iPhone or iPad running iOS/iPadOS 14, three new widgets will appear: Search, Chrome Dino Game, and Quick Actions.

The procedure for adding these new Chrome widgets is the same as for other iOS/iPadOS widgets. Press down on the Home screen for 3 seconds before the screen icon makes its familiar wiggle motion. Tap "Edit Home Screen" and press the "+" icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

When done, scroll down, click on the Google Chrome shortcut, and select one of the three options that are now available. Press and hold and drag the widget or, as is customary on Apple devices, click the "Add Widget" button at the bottom of the screen.

So what do widgets do? Quick Actions adds some handy Chrome shortcuts, adds incognito mode, a search bar, voice search, and a QR code scanner.

Search is a smaller version of this widget that includes a simple search bar to handle Internet searches; Chrome Dino, if you haven't seen it, is a silly but endlessly fun Google game in which users dodge pterodactyls and cacti while, Digital dinosaurs run across the screen.

All in all, there are some pretty useful updates, and it's nice to see Google embrace the more nimble side of its brand through the Chrome Dino widget.

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