Chrome on Android is about to welcome a discreet but incredibly useful new feature. A simple tweak will soon change the way we manage our tabs. And that's just the beginning.
Google continues to improve Chrome at a steady pace. Recently, the browser received an update to make it easier to read PDF files, with new options accessible to visually impaired users. It also strengthened its Incognito mode, which will soon become more private thanks to IP address masking technology planned for this summer. These features are part of a broader effort to make the operation of this now essential app more practical, more secure, and more inclusive.
The new feature of the day concerns the tab management of this browser for Android. Until now, it was possible to close or group them, but it was difficult to simply archive them temporarily. Now, a function allows you to drag an active tab to a special section called “inactive tabs.” It was spotted in the Canary version of Chrome, a test version used to evaluate new features before they arrive for all users. Its official launch is planned for version 139, on July 30, 2025.
Chrome 139 will add a drag and drop feature to archive inactive tabs
The principle is simple and visual: simply hold a tab, then drag it to a designated area in the interface to archive it. The number of inactive tabs is then clearly displayed, allowing you to keep an eye on what has been set aside. Unlike a traditional closing, these tabs remain accessible at any time. This is an intermediate solution for users who don't want to lose track, but want to streamline their interface.
For now, this option is only available in the Canary version of Chrome. This experimental version isn't always stable, but it allows the most curious to test upcoming features in advance. If the tests are conclusive, this drag and drop will be integrated into the stable version by the end of summer. This change comes on top of other recent improvements aimed at making the browser smoother and more functional on Android, by better adapting to mobile uses such as multitasking or later reading.
In addition to automatically archiving tabs, Chrome for Android will also let you manually archive tabs by dragging and dropping them into the ‘Inactive tabs’ section of the tab switcher. This feature was originally spotted by Chrome Story, but it just started working in Canary: pic.twitter.com/TKDk57lnBx
— Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) June 2, 2025
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