Chrome 122 is available for download, here are the new features of the Google browser

THE Web browser the most popular in the world gets a new update! AI, DMA, experiments on Android… We’re talking to you about it, right now.

You may have noticed: Google Chrome went from version 121 to version 122. Yet another update, therefore, but which brings its share of new features that are not so trivial, and for good reason: Gemini still does no longer part of the adventure.

Google is also taking the opportunity to adapt to new European regulations, and making new experiences on Android more accessible which are intended to greatly improve users’ daily lives.

On the menu: artificial intelligence, but not yet here

Presented at the end of January, the “ Help Me Write » (Help me write, in the language of Molière) is more widely deployed in Chrome 122. It allows you to refine a selected text using AI, or to generate one for you with a simple click right on a text field. The tool is available on any website and complements what Google has been developing for some time in Gmail and Google Docs.

However, like other similar services offered by the American firm, this will initially be deployed for “ a limited set of users connected to the United States ”, and only in English. The same goes for other tools that use artificial intelligence and algorithms, such as automatic tab sorting or custom theme generation. You will have to wait a little before having access to it in France and elsewhere, via the page “ Experimental AI » in the browser settings. Hopefully it won’t be too long.

Either way, these tools are already here, and all that’s left is for Google to unlock them for everyone.

Transparency, openness to other search engines and experimentation on mobile

Big news in the world of tech for the first quarter of 2024: the implementation of new European regulations (DMA). To comply with this, Chrome will now ask us to choose our preferred search engine when first used. Except on Android, where this choice will be made when configuring the smartphone or tablet.

In terms of transparency, Google has allowed itself to be clearer on how its private browsing mode works. When opening a new incognito tab, the user will be informed which data will not be saved by Chrome, and which can be seen by websites, your company or your ISP, for example .

On mobile, the browser is experimenting with a host of changes, such as a read-aloud tool similar to what’s found on apps like Pocket; opening PDFs directly in Chrome; a new floating button located at the bottom of the screen in the list of tabs, to open a new one more easily. Most of these features can already be enabled by going to chrome://flags and selecting them one by one. However, they could be rolled out gradually to everyone in the coming days and weeks, or when Chrome 123 is released.

Source : Android Police