To say that incognito mode has done wonders for Chrome users would be an understatement. After all, nothing comes close to the sense of relief that comes with NOT having to worry about the browser storing your data. And it appears that Google is about to make this privacy feature even more secure in the coming days.
The Tech Giant is reportedly working on adding optional biometric verification on Google Chrome for Android users to put an extra layer of security when opening incognito tabs. However, this exciting update hasn’t been made available for public use yet.
As per Chrome Story, users will be able to hide their previously-opened tabs behind a PIN or biometric scan via a new experimental flag in Chrome Canary 94. Currently, this switch is hidden under "Enable device reauthentication for Incognito" accessed via chrome://flags. However, nobody (including Canary users) can activate this feature from Chrome’s Privacy menu right now.
Luckily, we now have an idea how this feature will work, courtesy of Chrome for iOS. While reauthentication is still enveloped by a flag on Apple devices, the toggle appears in the “Privacy” section once the user relaunches the app.
Upon activation, the previously-opened incognito tabs will demand you run a Face ID scan to access them. In order to avoid unintentional access, you will be asked to press the unlock button to initiate the scan. This extra tap will also be required on Google Pixel and other devices solely dependent on facial recognition for granting accessibility. However, the same will not be an issue with most Android devices, thanks to the fingerprint sensors.
It surely is a bummer that the privacy feature in question is not readily available, even for Canary users. Regardless, one can hope that it gets rolled out for Android sooner rather than later.
Read next: Chrome 93 will enable desktops to directly read the verification code on your Android Phones saving you from inserting those digits
The Tech Giant is reportedly working on adding optional biometric verification on Google Chrome for Android users to put an extra layer of security when opening incognito tabs. However, this exciting update hasn’t been made available for public use yet.
As per Chrome Story, users will be able to hide their previously-opened tabs behind a PIN or biometric scan via a new experimental flag in Chrome Canary 94. Currently, this switch is hidden under "Enable device reauthentication for Incognito" accessed via chrome://flags. However, nobody (including Canary users) can activate this feature from Chrome’s Privacy menu right now.
Luckily, we now have an idea how this feature will work, courtesy of Chrome for iOS. While reauthentication is still enveloped by a flag on Apple devices, the toggle appears in the “Privacy” section once the user relaunches the app.
Upon activation, the previously-opened incognito tabs will demand you run a Face ID scan to access them. In order to avoid unintentional access, you will be asked to press the unlock button to initiate the scan. This extra tap will also be required on Google Pixel and other devices solely dependent on facial recognition for granting accessibility. However, the same will not be an issue with most Android devices, thanks to the fingerprint sensors.
It surely is a bummer that the privacy feature in question is not readily available, even for Canary users. Regardless, one can hope that it gets rolled out for Android sooner rather than later.
Read next: Chrome 93 will enable desktops to directly read the verification code on your Android Phones saving you from inserting those digits
