Google is making a few changes to the way its search and address bar — known as the omnibox — works in the Chrome browser, and these small tweaks will change the way we browse.
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Google’s search box is getting smarter
If you’re in Chrome on a desktop or mobile, the browser will now try and correct your URL typos, so when you type itp.love or itp.liv, you’ll get autocomplete suggestions based on the right site.
Autocomplete has gotten smarter in other ways too — now, Google will autocomplete URLs based on words you have used in the past to search for a website. Previously, the address bar would only autocomplete URLs if you started typing them from the beginning.
For instance, if you wanted to navigate to Google Flights, you had to start typing out Google.com. Now, you can simply type “flights,” after which the address bar will autocomplete it to “https://www.google.com/travel/flights.”
Additionally, you can now also search within your bookmark folders directly from the address bar. All these features are based on your own browsing history and bookmarks, so really Chrome is just becoming slightly more personalized.
The last change announced today brings an “improved visual layout” to the address bar. The search giant also says the address bar is now more responsive and will give users faster results “as soon as they start typing.”
All of these changes are great, helpful web navigation features, and they all mean you’re likely to do fewer searches. Gone are the days of going from search to search, finding different things again and again until you get what you’re looking for.
In many ways, the nature of internet search is evolving rapidly. Even the most used search engine must also move past to keep up with these changes.
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