Chrome for Android's new bottom sheet brings tab groups closer to desktop parity

Google Chrome on Android is adding a new feature called the “Tab Group Parity bottom sheet” to make it easier to add tabs to existing tab groups. This feature is currently being tested behind a flag in the Canary version.

The flag description says, “Enables adding Tabs to Tab Groups via the Tab Group Parity Bottom Sheet.” Basically, Google wants to bring Android’s tab grouping experience closer to what you get on the desktop version.

So, with the feature flag enabled, Chrome will probably show a sliding panel at the bottom of the screen. This panel will offer a clear list of your tab groups, making it much easier to manage a lot of open tabs compared to the current drag-and-drop method.

 The most likely implementation involves contextual menus. You might need to long-press a tab in the tab switcher view to trigger a contextual menu with an option to “Add to Tab Group.” Selecting this option would then bring up the “Tab Group Parity Bottom Sheet,” letting you choose the desired group.

Other than that, you might find an option to add tabs to the tab group in the three-dot menu that appears in the tab switcher view.

We’ll have to wait and see how Google finalizes this. So far, Google has almost made Android Tab Groups in Chrome on par with the desktop version by allowing users to organize tabs into distinct groups with colors and titles.

That’s not all. Chrome PWAs on Android will be more native on larger screens in the future. Plus, Google is integrating a scanner into Chrome on Android to check APK downloads. The company is also working on new appearance settings and new tab customization options.