Chrome 135 For Android Will Start ‘going Edge-To-Edge’ [Gallery]

In September, Chrome started theming Android’s navigation bar for a slightly more immersive experience. Chrome for Android will soon start “going edge-to-edge” by displaying the gesture handle navigation bar over web pages.

Specifically, Chrome will “draw web content up to the bottom device edge by extending the viewport into the gesture navigation bar area.”

This is in comparison to the current nav bar displaying the gesture pill against a solid color.

Moving forward, the gesture handle will appear above web content as you scroll. When you’re not scrolling (and the address bar at the top is visible), you still have the old background.

Static vs. scrolling

Behind-the-scenes, Chrome will display a new “dynamic bottom bar” — referred to as “the chin” by Google — over the gesture navigation bar area: “…both the Chrome address bar and chin dynamically retract as the page scrolls down. This causes the viewport to expand, allowing web content to be drawn up to the bottom edge of the device.”

You won’t really see more of the page with this change, but it’s a good Chrome and Android modernization. This change does not impact the status bar (with notification and system icons), which would make for a true edge-to-edge experience.

“The large viewport shown in Chrome on Android that is not edge-to-edge (left) and in Chrome that is edge-to-edge (right). In Chrome with edge-to-edge support, the viewport extends into the gesture navigation bar area when Chrome’s dynamic toolbars are retracted.“

This start of Chrome’s fullscreen journey on “small-screen devices” (with large-screen support coming later) will begin with version 135, which is set to start rolling out in the stable channel on April 1. However, testing is already underway with earlier versions.

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