We kick off February 2022 with a new version of Google Chrome. Version 98 of the popular browser brings a new “Privacy Guide” for checking out some key settings, cleaner emojis, and a new screenshot tool. Let’s see.
Privacy Guide
One of the biggest new features in Chrome 98 is called “Privacy Guide”. It’s still hidden behind a flag, but it looks close to ready for rush hour. Privacy Guide is a tool that helps you look at your browser’s privacy and security.
Available on computer and cell phone with the flag chrome://flags/#privacy-review , the Privacy Guide can be found in the “Security and Privacy” settings. This is a nice guided tour through some of the settings that allow you to lock in your privacy. You do not have to search for the options yourself.
Beautiful Emoji’s
Chrome 98 implements a new set of COLRv1 Color Gradient Vector Fonts. What this means for you are emojis that can scale better and come in smaller file sizes. This is largely due to switch to vector formats from PNGs. This is not something you would notice with small emojis, but if you zoom in, you can see a pretty big improvement. See for yourself with this site.
Take screenshots in the browser
It’s not hard to take a screenshot with Windows or Mac, but it requires cutting out a portion of the browser window that you may not want to include. Chrome 98 makes it easier with a built-in screenshot tool.
When you click on the share icon in the address bar, you will see a new “Screenshot” option. In addition, Chrome for Android is testing the ability to add emojis to screenshots. It can be found by activating the flag chrome://flags/#lightweight-reactions-android . It adds a new “Add Emotion” button to the drop-down menu.
Web applications that look better get stable
Google was testing a more “native” top bar for web applications Chrome 97 and it’s now stable in Chrome 98. The top bar makes better use of available space for things like search bars. It generally takes up less space and just looks a little nicer. You can test it by installing this demo site as an application.
What’s new?
Google now releases every version of Chrome every four weeks, which means big splashing features are not as frequent. However, a lot is still happening below the surface. You can read about many of these changes at Google Developer Website as well as on the Chromium blog. We will highlight some changes here:
How to update Google Chrome
Chrome will automatically install the update on your device when it’s available. About immediately check for and install any available updates, click the triangular menu icon and click Help> About Google Chrome.
RELATED: How to update Google Chrome
