Google is removing some features from Chrome: Here's why
What's the story
In a bid to make Google Chrome cleaner and more seamless, the tech giant is throwing some of its capabilities on the chopping block. Yes, as weird as it may sound, the company has actually resorted to removing some features from the browser to declutter it. Let's take a look at all the functions that would be going away.
Change
New tab options going away
In the current iteration of Chrome, which is version 76, you get a range of options after right-clicking on an open tab. The options provide the ability to open a new tab, duplicate or mute the existing one, among many other things. But now, TechDows reports that some of these options have been removed from the test version of the browser.
Feature
Which options are likely to be removed
The main features to Mute, Pin, and Reload a tab or to open a Duplicate one are staying but less-used capabilities are going away. This includes the buttons to open New tab, Close other tabs, Reopen closed tab, and Bookmark all tabs. However, it's worth noting that only tab options are being removed and you will still have these capabilities through shortcuts, other modes.
Timeline
When these changes will be executed?
The redesigned menu was spotted in Chrome 78 Canary, which is the latest developer-focused build of the browser. It's not clear if Google will execute these changes in a stable release but there's a good chance that we may see these options going away in the coming months. This means if you've been using the options being removed, brace yourself to accept the modifications.
Information
Usage data indicates only few people will miss these features
While removal of these options could be annoying for individual users, developer usage data indicates only a handful of people use these options from the menu. So, it won't make much big of a difference, probably.
Recent improvement
Recently, Google released ability to prevent Incognito detection in Chrome
The move to declutter Google Chrome comes just a few days after the release of Chrome 76 - the current version. The update introduced a number of improvements, including the ability to prevent publishers from detecting when a user is browsing their site through Incognito mode. The capability is active now, preventing publishers from blocking users accessing paywalled content in Incognito mode.