Chrome's New Tab page on Android could get more customization options

Google is working to improve or add new customization options for the New Tab page in Chrome on Android. The feature is being tested behind a flag.

The Mountain View tech giant has been working on the “NTP customization feature”. According to the corresponding Chromium Gerrit message, the flag, once enabled, “allows users to customize the new tab page”.

Other details are vague at the moment. What exactly Google is building for New Tab page customization is still unclear.

Right now, Chrome’s New Tab page on Android comes with a search bar, frequently visited website icons, and Discover articles based on your browsing history and interests when you’re signed into your account. It also includes a Safety Check card that alerts you about compromised passwords and a card to resume from where you left off.

For any browser, whether on desktop or mobile, the New Tab page is the start page that appears when you launch the browser. The desktop version of Chrome allows you to personalize the New Tab page with themes and custom backgrounds and shows the most visited site icons for quick access.

The popular mobile browser is also testing animations when you create tabs. To browse faster, Chrome will enable pre-rendering for navigations that start from the New Tab page.

Elsewhere in Chrome-related news, Google is also testing dedicated panes for bookmarks and history in the browser. And for iOS users, the browser’s Password Manager will soon let you wipe all saved passwords at once just like on the desktop.