Chrome 77 for Android rolling out: New Downloads page, ‘Send this page’ sharing

Abner Li | Sep 10 2019 - 4:44 pm PT

Following the Mac, Windows, and Linux release, Chrome 77 for Android is now rolling out. There are tweaks to the Downloads page and wider availability of “Send this page” sharing.

Chrome already allows you to check what tabs are open on devices signed in with your Google Account. Version 77 is adding a direct “Send this page” feature that can be accessed from the system share sheet. While the “Send to your devices” target with the Chrome icon might appear when using Chrome Custom Tabs, sending only works in the browser.

Tapping slides up a “Send to” list of all your Chrome devices, and includes name, type, and last “active” date. On the receiving end, an alert — that notes the page name, URL, and sharing device — will appear on your operating system’s notification center to open the link. This feature began rolling out in late July, and should now be available for more users.

Chrome 77 for Android tweaks the Downloads screen by doing away with the menu in the top-left corner. The browser instead makes use of buttons to filter between various content types, while there are larger previews for saved images. Another change is an “Articles for you” tab that shows content Google automatically stores. This feature is not yet live.

: Chrome 76

: Chrome 77

: Chrome 77

Site Isolation now protects cookies, HTTP resources, and other cross-site data, even if you’re visiting “attacker-controlled websites.” In Chrome 77, the security measure will be “enabled on some Android devices to protect websites and data where mobile users enter passwords.”

Google is a big proponent of web apps becoming as powerful and feature-rich as native counterparts. Chrome 77 for Android begins origin trial testing of a Contact Picker API that “allows users to select entries from their contact list and share limited details of the selected entries with a website.”