It turns out that Google used to test a Safari-like interface on iOS 15, but in the end, it didn’t roll it out to all users

Tram Ho

At the heart of the iOS 15 Beta update is the default Safari browser of this operating system, although (after many changes continuously) we do not know in advance whether it will be released with the official version or not. are not. Interestingly, the Android version of Chrome used to implement a similar interface design a few years ago. And recently, a former designer on that project told us why Google abandoned this interface.

What caught the eye with the iOS 15 version of Safari was the “new tab bar design” – in Apple’s words. Specifically, the address box and other function buttons are now placed in a strip at the bottom of the screen, just above the navigation bar. Apple says this design “enlarges screen space and disappears when you drag the page and browse the web” . It’s easily accessible and lets you swipe horizontally to switch between tabs. To sum it up, Apple believes this functionality is “redefining the way we surf the web today” , but it’s also constantly changing the design in the iOS betas.

Hóa ra Google đã từng thử nghiệm giao diện tương tự Safari trên iOS 15, nhưng cuối cùng lại không tung ra cho mọi người dùng - Ảnh 1.

Safari interface on iOS 15 Beta

Google also wanted to implement a similar design in a project called “Chrome Home” in 2016. Mr. Chris Lee – a former interaction designer at Google, who is behind “the original idea and the theory. program” (of the project) – shared about this project on his personal page, describing it as a “contemplative redesign of the main Chrome mobile interface” . In a nutshell, “it brings Chrome’s toolbar to the bottom of the screen and allows a navigation bar to be hidden by swiping” . This area called Omnibox is moved down with the menu right next to it. The swipe up gesture, suggested by the small icon above the address box, will show users four different areas, including Discover, Downloads, Bookmarks and History.

Hóa ra Google đã từng thử nghiệm giao diện tương tự Safari trên iOS 15, nhưng cuối cùng lại không tung ra cho mọi người dùng - Ảnh 2.

Chrome Home interface

Similar to the Safari version on iOS 15 Beta, this design of Chrome is mainly based on the increase in phone screen size and hopes to create an interface that is “still usable with one hand” . Another reason is because Chrome has a lot of features placed in the menu with three dots icon, because there is nowhere else to put them, this will reduce the user’s discoverability.

Mr. Lee said Chrome Home “had an internal appeal, which eventually became a priority for the Chrome organization” . After the first prototype, then beta versions with flags (a feature that allows users to tweak Chrome to their liking), and finally the testing phase, the project team “received both praise and criticism” .

Casual users say the redesign makes them feel “out of focus” , even though “this feature has been loved in the tech world” . According to Lee, “Chrome is used by billions of people on Earth with varying levels of technology. I am increasingly convinced that the launch of Chrome Home will not serve every user well. So, just like when I boldly presented the original, I also supported stopping the release of this feature – which also caused a lot of controversy.”

What Google and this individual designer draw out is that “intention is needed to innovate a product at scale” , In February 2018, Google said it would “stop experiments with Chrome Home”. “ . Mr. Lee’s post finally tells us why.

Hóa ra Google đã từng thử nghiệm giao diện tương tự Safari trên iOS 15, nhưng cuối cùng lại không tung ra cho mọi người dùng - Ảnh 3.

Chrome Duet interface

However, after that, Google immediately promoted research on an interface called “Chrome Duplex”, which later changed its name to Duet. This version of the “split toolbar” has the omnibox remaining at the top of the screen, but the other feature buttons are located in a strip at the bottom. This project was also later abandoned in mid-2020, showing that Google is still not ready for a drastic change to the interface of its pet web browser.

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Source : Genk