After years of resistance, Google Chrome is finally adopting vertical tabs, a feature popularized by browsers like Arc. This move places tabs on the side of the window, making page titles easier to read and tab groups easier to manage. Once enabled, it remains the default. This change highlights how competition from modern browsers influences Chrome’s development, potentially reducing the appeal of rivals. Power users and researchers who keep many tabs open will benefit most, especially when multiple tabs share the same site icon. Google tested vertical tabs over a decade ago but never released it; now it’s rolling out gradually to all users. The update comes alongside a refreshed, full-page Reading Mode designed for distraction-free reading on cluttered web pages. This is part of a series of recent Chrome updates, including Gemini AI integration and a faster release schedule.
