Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Chrome for Android could soon bring back the option to share tab groups.
- Google is working on a new version of the feature that adds a Share button to tab groups.
- The feature is currently in development, and it will likely roll out with a future update.
When Google first introduced Tab groups in Chrome for Android, the feature included an option that let users share tab groups with others. However, Google removed it in a subsequent release sometime in 2021. The option no longer exists in the browser app and you can’t even enable it with flags, but Google appears to be working on a new implementation that could arrive with a future update.
Previously, you could access the option to share tab groups by selecting a tab group and opening the three-dot menu. Google is now working on a dedicated button for the feature to make it easier to access, according to code sleuth Leopeva64 on X. This new Share button will appear at the top of the tab group next to the buttons to add tabs and open the three-dot menu.
Selecting the new Share button will open an Invite people window, where you’ll be able to invite others to view the tab group by entering their email. Once the recipient accepts your invitation, the tab group will show a new shared group indicator with the profile picture of the recipient. In case the user does not have a profile picture, this indicator will show the first letter of their name in a circle. The main tabs page will also show a pill-shaped indicated on shared tab groups.
The three-dot menu in shared tab groups will include four additional options that will let you manage sharing, check recent activity, close the group, or delete the group. The three-dot menu on the tab groups page, on the other hand, will give you the options to open or leave the group.
Tab group sharing isn’t functional in the current Chrome Canary release, so it might be a while before the feature rolls out to users. Google could make additional changes in that time, so the end result might not look exactly like what’s shown above.
