Google is currently testing a new feature that enables users to search on a side window of the Chrome browser.
The search engine has recently been releasing new features to its browser, helping users to find out additional information like reading lists and bookmarks. This latest features allows for search within a side window while keeping a current website open.
Google announced on the Chromium blog that anyone who is registered in the Chrome OS Dev channel on Desktop can see the new Google side search feature on the Chrome browser.
In the past, browser extension developers have created side panels to improve the user interface, but they were not always a popular option. Google appears to have warmed to them in recent times, however, and has now started introducing them more to the Chrome browser.
Since the feature allows you to search Google without having to open another tab, and will let users easily search without having to flick between two tabs on the browser, it’s likely to be particularly valuable to developers and analysts rather than casual web users.
Search Engine Land has created a GIF to show how the new feature works, which you can see here.
Google is currently testing the new feature through its Chrome OS Dev Channel, which suggests that the feature could be released to the public in the future. Indeed, 9to5Google.com has speculated that the feature may be available in Chrome 96, which is going to be released in mid-November.
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