Chrome Ditched Redesign That Was Similar to Safari in iOS 15, Says Former Google Employee

3 years ago 113

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This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page

Apple introduced a sweeping overhaul to its Safari browser’s interface on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, with a redesign that includes an address bar that floats at the bottom of the screen, changes to the way users switch tabs, and more.

safari

Apple says this new-look Safari has been “reimagined for the way we browse today.” In ‌iOS 15‌, for example, Apple says the new floating address bar means Safari “maximizes your screen space and stays out of the way as you scroll and explore.” However, the changes have been heavily criticized by some users, and there have been many complaints in particular about Safari on iPhone.

It turns out Google tried something similar in 2016 for its own home-grown browser. According to Chris Lee, a former Google designer, Google began developing a redesign for the Chrome mobile app called “Chrome Home” that was very similar to the one Apple is currently aiming at for Safari.

Lee was a staff interaction designer at Google at the time, and on his personal blog (via 9to5Google), Lee says he created the “original concept and pitch” for an “ambitious redesign of mobile Chrome’s main UI.”

It brought Chrome’s toolbar to the bottom of the screen and turned [it] into a peeking panel that could be swiped to expose additional controls.

Swiping up on the address bar displayed the Discover and recent sites, Downloads, Bookmarks and History, while other features were accessible in a menu via an ellipsis (three dot) icon, which consolidated key browsing options and simplified one-handed operation in an era of growing screen sizes.

Lee says Chrome Home “caught traction internally, eventually becoming a Chrome org priority.” However, after live beta tests and sustained experiments, the team received “a mixture of reactions.”

The feature gained a cult following among the tech community,

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