Google's Chrome Browser Testing Bottom-Placed Address Bar on iOS

Google's Chrome browser for iOS is testing an option for users to shift the address bar to the bottom of the screen, two years after Apple’s Safari made the same change.

chrome bottom url bar
The move, spotted by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, is currently in beta testing in the Testflight version of the app. Currently the change is optional, enabling users to set the URL bar to the top or bottom by pressing and holding the bar to bring up a switch, or by changing the location via Settings -> Address Bar.

Apple in its iOS 15 beta testing phase introduced a redesigned Safari experience that moved the URL bar and tab interface to the bottom of the iPhone, a decision that initially proved controversial with ‌iPhone‌ users.

Locating the bar at the bottom of the interface made it easier to browse with one hand, but not everyone was happy. After listening to feedback, Apple added a toggle to show the address bar at the top of the ‌iPhone‌ rather than the bottom, for users who preferred the more iOS 14-like experience.

It's not clear whether Chrome will roll out the change to all users – Google tried a similar change in Chrome for Android in 2017, then subsequently removed the feature. However, with iPhone screens historically getting iteratively bigger, many will likely welcome the change, should it stick.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

Steve121178 Avatar
19 months ago
For me, the address bar at the bottom on a phone makes complete sense. Glad to see most mainstream browsers are now offering this UI toggle.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemilktea Avatar
19 months ago
You know, I've wondered: what exactly is the appeal of using Chrome on iOS?

Apple won't allow the developers to use Blink or V8 or any of the regular Chrome technologies in the app, so instead iOS Chrome is basically just Safari with some extra Google tracking on top, and none of the "real" Chrome features. ?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
19 months ago

You know, I've wondered: what exactly is the appeal of using Chrome?
There, fixed it for ya.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
senttoschool Avatar
19 months ago

No, thank you. I'll continue to use Brave browser instead. I don't like ads.
Don't support Brave. It's just Chromium with uBlock Origin installed by default. It's nothing special.

However, Brave is a crypto company selling an unregistered security. They also replaced website ads with their own ads, stealing revenue from website owners in a very shady way.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
19 months ago
It’s crazy how long it took me to get used to it in safari, and now I love it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LambdaTheImpossible Avatar
19 months ago
If it takes this long for browser vendors to work out that things are easier when they are closer to your fingers then we are, to use a technical term, ****ed.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)