With iOS 15, Apple made the controversial decision to do so move the address and search bar to Safari at the bottom of the browser window. This was a hotly contested move during the beta process where it was fraught with problems. But Apple listened and made a number of important changes before the final version of iOS 15, including the ability to move the bar back to the top of the screen in Settings.
Now, two years later, Safari’s biggest rival is preparing to make the same change. Google is currently testing the ability to move the Omnibox (the name of the address and search bar) to the bottom of the screen. For now, you’ll need to enable it using a feature flag instead of app settings, and it’s still in beta. Eventually, it is expected to switch to a normal or maybe even the default option.
To enable the lower Omnibox in Chrome on iOSenter the following in the address bar and tap Go:
From the resulting screen, browse for the file Bottom omnibox (fixed) setting, which should be highlighted. Change selection to Qualified. Then close Chrome and restart it. Your Omnibox should now be at the bottom.
Foundry
Google has experimented with a lower address bar in Android over the years, but it never became a browser feature. It’s unclear if Google plans to offer this new omnibox below in Chrome for Android or if it will ever become a main feature on iOS.
