Google chrome is experimenting with a new feature that replaces the web page's URL with the searched keyword in the Chrome address bar.
Google is calling it "Query in Omnibox", and while experimenting it, they enabled it for some users which as a result display search query in the address bar instead of showing the URL.
Although it in experimental mode, it has been available in Google Chrome since last year, but as disabled feature by default. However users can enable the feature by visiting this flag chrome://flags/#enable-query-in-omnibox.
When not enabled, Google displays the expected URL in the address bar, which makes it easy for the user to identify the website and also sharing becomes a bit more easier.
While giving an interview to the Wired, Adrienne Porter Felt, Chrome's engineering manager accepted that they don't find the URLs of the webpages much useful for the users.
People find it hard to understand, and Google Chrome wants to change the way URLs are displayed.
Usually, URLs are hard to read, and many users get confused when it comes to deciding which part of the URL should be trusted.
This experiment seems to be their next step in the same direction and Google will keep removing various elements until there is nothing left to exclude.
Right now its only been tested for Chrome, which is the most used browser, and once it gets implemented successfully, Google might start thinking about removing the URLs on other search engines.
Since it's been only implemented on a very tiny scale, it is still unknown how the general users will react to this surprising update.
Read next: Google Chrome Web Store Apps Will Soon Be No More
Google is calling it "Query in Omnibox", and while experimenting it, they enabled it for some users which as a result display search query in the address bar instead of showing the URL.
Although it in experimental mode, it has been available in Google Chrome since last year, but as disabled feature by default. However users can enable the feature by visiting this flag chrome://flags/#enable-query-in-omnibox.
When not enabled, Google displays the expected URL in the address bar, which makes it easy for the user to identify the website and also sharing becomes a bit more easier.
While giving an interview to the Wired, Adrienne Porter Felt, Chrome's engineering manager accepted that they don't find the URLs of the webpages much useful for the users.
People find it hard to understand, and Google Chrome wants to change the way URLs are displayed.
Usually, URLs are hard to read, and many users get confused when it comes to deciding which part of the URL should be trusted.
We want to reach a point where it is easier for everyone to understand the identity of the website, so the user has an idea who they’re talking to while using the webpage, Adrienne Porter further told.Google Chrome is slowly working its way up to their final goal as many users observed that they stopped displaying sub-domain in the URLs when Google Chrome 79 was released.
This experiment seems to be their next step in the same direction and Google will keep removing various elements until there is nothing left to exclude.
Right now its only been tested for Chrome, which is the most used browser, and once it gets implemented successfully, Google might start thinking about removing the URLs on other search engines.
Since it's been only implemented on a very tiny scale, it is still unknown how the general users will react to this surprising update.
Read next: Google Chrome Web Store Apps Will Soon Be No More
