Update 1 (09/14/2020 @ 09:40 AM ET): Google Chrome can now move tabs to the other display on the LG Velvet and Microsoft Surface Duo. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on April 8, 2020, is preserved below.

In an effort to make multitasking easier on smartphones with a secondary display, the Google Chrome team is working on a new feature that will allow users to open different tabs in each display. While Google Chrome does include support for phones with a secondary display, it currently only allows users to expand a single Chrome tab across both displays. With the new feature, users with devices like the LG V60 ThinQ or the ZTE Axon M will be able to open two Chrome tabs side-by-side on each display.

As per a recent report from 9to5Google, a new code change uploaded to Chromium's Gerrit source code management reveals that developers have already started working on the new feature, which builds upon work started back in 2018 for early dual-screen phones like the ZTE Axon M. As per the code change description, the feature will allow users to utilize the second display to open a separate tab, possibly using Chrome's "Move to other window" option. On top of that, Google is also adding new protections in place to help users merge the two sets of tabs back together when the second display is turned off.

The feature is currently being tested and is gated behind the flag chrome://flags#android-multiple-display and its description states, "When enabled, tabs can be moved to the secondary display." As of now, the feature is in its early stages of development and it's quite likely that Google will make significant changes to the flag before it goes live on a supported device. It's also worth noting that Microsoft's upcoming Surface Duo will also benefit from this new feature. And since the company has already released a preview SDK for making dual-screen Android apps, it's quite possible that it may help Google in its efforts to add multiple display support in Chrome.

Source: Chromium Gerrit

Via: 9to5Google


Update: Google Chrome can now move tabs to the other window on some devices

We were unable to track when exactly the feature flag started working, but on Google Chrome, you can now move tabs to the other window on dual-screen devices like the LG Velvet (with its secondary display accessory) and the Microsoft Surface Duo.