Google Chrome changes direction: the feature that surfers have been waiting for for years is finally coming

The main innovation is the possibility to move the tabs from the top of the screen to the side, thus displaying the names of the pages in a more complete and clear way. Instead of a dense row of tabs with small icons and cut-off text, the user gets a vertical list that makes it possible to easily identify each open page. For users who often work with dozens of tabs at the same time, such as researchers, journalists or technologists, this is a dramatic change in the work experience.

Activating the feature is relatively simple: right-click on the browser window and select the option of displaying tabs vertically. From the moment of activation, it becomes the default until the user decides to switch back to the old view. Google emphasizes that there is no official limit on the number of tabs, beyond the hardware limitations of the computer itself, so the change is mainly intended for heavy users.

Meanwhile, Chrome also receives a significant update to its reading mode. This mode, which aims to display text cleanly and without distractions, now becomes a more complete user experience, with a wide view that removes advertisements, pop-ups and other distractions that characterize many content sites today. For readers of news and long content, this is a tool that may change the way they consume information online.

The update to the reading mode comes at a sensitive time for content sites, which rely heavily on advertisements and surfer referrals. At the same time, the increasing integration of artificial intelligence tools within search engines and browsers reduces the traffic to the websites themselves. This creates a situation where the tools designed to improve the user experience also contribute indirectly to the erosion of the economic model of digital communication.

The vertical tabs are gradually being rolled out to all users in the world, a move that allows Google to test the response and make adjustments if necessary. For many, this is a late but necessary fix, one that aligns with what users have become accustomed to seeing in other browsers.