Google resumes efforts to abolish the use of URLs with the release of Chrome version 85
In September 2018, Google revealed its plans to abolish internet URLs . Company engineers reported how the addresses used today are “difficult to read”, not working “as a good solution for converting the identity of a website”. The team said it was still working on simpler and safer alternatives, but that until then they did not know which and how to implement them.
It seems that the search giant managed to find a way, and started testing flags on Chrome Canary and Chrome Dev to hide most URLs, keeping only the main section, related to the identification of the site in question. To access the full address, the user must hover or tap the address bar, which will hide the content again after interacting with the page.

The new function is available for Android and Windows in the Dev and Canary versions of Chrome, and it is necessary to activate the flags Omnibox UI Hide Steady-State URL Path, Query, and Ref on Hover and Omnibox UI Hide Steady-State URL Path, Query, and Ref on Interaction for them to take effect. It is worth remembering, however, that this is software under test, and numerous failures can occur, not being recommended as its main browser.
Just this week, the search giant released the first beta of Android 11 for the Pixel line. The new version of the system brings major changes, including notifications in “bubble” format similar to Facebook Messenger, temporary app permissions, and refined media controls.
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