Google Hints It May Toss Long URLs From Chrome

Google Chrome may eventually hide long URLs from the address bar. That is, if a recent update to Google's experimental browser is any indication.

A recent update to Chrome's publicly available Canary browser added a feature that hides long URLs. Instead, when users view webpages, the browser only reveals the website name and domain, not the entire URL.

If this sounds familiar, this is similar to the mobile version of Safari, which already hides the full URL in iOS 7 by default. In the Safari app, the address bar only displays the website name and domain, e.g. yahoo.com, not the entire URLregardless of where on the website you navigate to. To view or select the full URL, users must tap the address bar.

Similarly, if the new feature in Canary is enabled, users can only see the entire URL by clicking on the domain name, what's technically called the "origin chip," which brings up the full URL for users to view or edit.

Canary is Google's experimental version of Chrome. The Chrome team updates it daily with new features, many of which have not been previously tested. Google often uses it to test new features and builds before even rolling them out to the Chrome Dev Channel.

Given its experimental nature, seeing this URL tweak in Canary doesn't necessarily mean this is a feature Google is considering for the full version of Chrome but should Canary's small user base react positively, it could get a full launch.

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