Chrome Now Has a Minimzed Custom Tabs Feature for Android Apps
The "Minimized Custom Tabs" feature is only available for now in apps that use Chrome-based mobile browsers.
Chrome, in a bid to remain the number one web browser choice for many users, has decided to introduce a new feature called “Minimized Custom Tabs” that will allow users to move between a native app and their web content with a tap.
This new development by Google is motivated by increasing competition in the browser market, as others such as Mozilla, Brave, and more recently Opera, which integrated Gemini AI into its web browser, have decided to up their game and provide a better experience to users.
Interestingly, the new feature will be available on the Chrome M124 update, giving 3.45 billion internet users per data from Backlinko who have Chrome as their browser the ability to open in-app webpages in picture-in-picture mode, letting them swap between the webpage and the app without closing their browsing session.
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It has also been confirmed that the feature will be coming to Android apps that use Chrome Custom Tabs, so you can expect apps like Reddit, Telegram, LinkedIn, and X to have it very soon.
Once the "Minimized Custom Tabs" feature becomes available in an app you use, you will see a new down arrow in the top-left corner of an in-app webpage. Tap the arrow, and the webpage will minimize into a floating window in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You can also tap the window to open the tab back up.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
Right now, the feature is only available in apps that use Chrome-based mobile browsers. However, Google expects that other browser makers will adopt similar functionality in the coming months.
