The concept is borrowed from the desktop version: long-pressing a tab in Chrome for Android now reveals a “Pin tab” option. Pinned tabs then migrate to the top of the tab list, effectively anchoring them in place. This prevents accidental closure, ensuring your most crucial webpages are always within easy reach.
Imagine keeping your email, calendar, or that crucial research document perpetually pinned. No more frantic searches through a sea of open tabs. The feature is currently live in Chrome Canary, meaning it’s readily available to test without needing to manually enable any flags.
The second major feature being tested addresses growing concerns about online privacy. While Android offers system-level location controls for apps, Chrome is taking it a step further, offering website-specific location permission settings.
Granular Control Over Your Digital Footprint
The upcoming feature gives you the ability to grant Chrome access to your precise location at the app level, while simultaneously restricting individual websites to only approximate location data. This is particularly useful for services like weather websites or local search engines, which function perfectly well with a general area rather than your exact coordinates.
This feature was spotted in Chrome version 142.0.7444.171 and can be manually activated via `chrome://flags` by enabling the Approximate Geolocation Permission
flag. This added layer of control empowers users to manage their digital footprint with greater precision, balancing convenience with privacy.
The shift towards more granular control over location data reflects a broader trend in the tech industry. Users are demanding greater transparency and agency over their personal information, and companies like Google are responding, albeit sometimes incrementally. It’s likely that features like approximate location will become increasingly commonplace, empowering individuals to navigate the digital world with greater confidence and control.
