Chrome’s New Productivity Features Heat Up Browser Wars
▼ Summary
– Google Chrome is rolling out new features like Split View, PDF annotations, and Save to Google Drive to integrate more deeply with Google’s services.
– These updates are part of a competitive response to AI-driven browsers from companies like OpenAI and Perplexity, pushing Google to develop more consumer features.
– The Split View feature allows users to view two web pages side-by-side in the same tab for easier multitasking.
– The PDF annotations feature enables users to directly highlight text and add notes to PDFs within the browser without needing a separate application.
– The Save to Google Drive feature lets users save PDFs directly to their Drive account, organizing them in a dedicated folder for easy access.
Google Chrome is introducing a set of new productivity tools designed to enhance user workflow and deepen integration with its ecosystem. This move comes as the browser faces fresh competition from AI-centric alternatives, pushing the platform to innovate more rapidly with practical, user-focused updates. The latest additions include Split View for multitasking, built-in PDF annotation tools, and a streamlined Save to Google Drive function.
The Split View feature fundamentally changes how users handle multiple web pages. Instead of juggling separate tabs or windows, you can now view two sites side-by-side within a single tab. This is ideal for comparing information, referencing a source while writing, or watching a tutorial while following along. Activating it is straightforward: simply drag a tab to either edge of the browser window or right-click on any link and choose “Open Link in Split View.” The pages will align perfectly, and you can exit this layout with another right-click when finished.
Another significant upgrade is the new capability for PDF annotations directly within Chrome. Users can now highlight text, add notes, fill out forms, or even sign documents without ever downloading the file or opening a separate application. This eliminates a common friction point, making quick PDF edits and reviews a seamless part of the browsing experience. It’s a feature many have awaited, simplifying everyday document tasks.
Complementing this is the Save to Google Drive option. When viewing a PDF, you can now save it directly to your Google Drive cloud storage instead of your local device. Files saved this way are automatically organized into a dedicated “Saved from Chrome” folder, ensuring they are easy to locate later and reducing the risk of losing important documents on a cluttered hard drive.
These productivity enhancements follow Google’s recent integration of its Gemini AI assistant into Chrome and the expansion of agentic features to Chromebooks. Looking ahead, Chrome is also testing support for vertical tabs, a popular interface innovation pioneered by competitors like The Browser Company’s Arc browser. Tech enthusiasts can already enable this experimental feature by adjusting browser flags. By adopting these functionalities, Google aims to make Chrome a more versatile and sticky platform, giving users fewer reasons to explore rival browsers.
(Source: TechCrunch)
