Google Reinvents Browsing Experience With Chrome's Upcoming 'Link Preview' Feature
New Tool Allows Small Pop-up Preview
Overt Operator
July 26, 2023
In a move set to potentially revolutionize the way users interact with web content, Google is poised to enhance its popular Chrome browser with a new feature currently under development: "Link Preview."
This innovative tool will allow users to view a small pop-up preview of a web page simply by clicking or hovering over a hyperlink.
Rather than immediately redirecting to a new page, users will gain a sneak peek of the content awaiting them on the linked page, enabling them to decide whether to proceed with fully opening the page or to continue with their current browsing session.
The Link Preview feature will not only increase browsing efficiency by saving time, but it also promises to optimize data usage by circumventing the unnecessary loading of undesired content.
Details outlined in the developmental documents reveal that users will have the option to open these previews in a new tab or in the Side panel, further enhancing the adaptability of their browsing experience.
The tech giant is also exploring an intriguing feature referred to as "Ephemeral Window and Tabs." This concept, drawing inspiration from Chrome’s ephemeral tab feature for Android, involves an ephemeral or temporary window hosting multiple preview tabs within each standard tab.
This feature's introduction stands to bolster browsing efficiency by allowing users to pre-screen content before fully engaging, thus tailoring their browsing experience to align with their specific interests and requirements.
However, it's important to note that this new design is currently in the internal exploratory phase within Google. The timeline for rolling out these changes to users is as of yet uncertain.
This planned upgrade aligns with Google's long-standing commitment to continuously improving user experience and evolving with technological advancements.