The Google Chrome 57 is already rolling out to Android devices this week, but it seems that the users are already waiting for the Google Chrome version 58, as it just entered the BETA testing phase.
The Google Chrome 58 BETA comes with a few new features and two of the most important ones are the enhanced capability for progressive web apps (also known as PWAs) and the Custom Tabs enhancements.
It seems that Google is currently working more on progressive web apps, as the company is trying really hard to provide mobile app-like experience for desktops users, and vice-versa.
In other words, PWAs is allowing the web application to behave like native mobile application on Android handsets. A good example is that a PWA is able to access push notifications and even “talk” to your device’s hardware, like an installed mobile application from the Google Play Store. To make things even better, you are able to add shortcuts to your home screen to access it easier. The PWAs are still just some browser-based web applications, but they are able to communicate with your mobile device easily, as long as the internet connection is good.
The upcoming Google Chrome 58 BETA also allows PWAs to run in full-screen mode, meaning that both the navigation bar and status bar are hidden just like a native Android application.
The new version of the browser brings the Custom Tabs very close to the ones that you see on the desktop browser, allowing you to open a link with Chrome browser. In Google Chrome 57, if you tap and hold a link, you will only see the option to copy the link, copy the text or download from the link. However, in Google Chrome 58 BETA you are able to directly open the link on your mobile device, like you can do on the desktop version of the application.
What are your thoughts about the changes that the Google Chrome 58 BETA comes with?
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