5 Exciting New Features in Chrome 90

Recently, Google released Chrome 90 and in this blog post, we'll be looking at what we think are the top 5 most exciting features in this new browser version.

AV1 Encoder That is Specifically Optimized for Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has never been more popular than today. Google knows this and they prioritized the work on an AV1 video encoder that they just implemented and released in Chrome 90 (on the desktop browser version). The AV1 encoder uses WebRTC protocol to optimize video calls. The WebRTC protocol allows peer-to-peer connections between various web browsers quickly and easily. Once web services start using this codec, it will make online video quality better (even with slow data connections) and it will also use less data bandwidth.

Chrome's Address Bar will Use HTTPS by Default

The address bar in Chrome 90 now defaults to HTTPS (port 443) instead of HTTP (port 80). This change improves website loading speed and increases privacy as the HTTPS protocol is encrypted. The majority of websites nowadays have switched to HTTPS and if a website does not support HTTPS, then Chrome 90 will automatically fall back to the HTTP protocol.

Improved Copy and Paste

Now in Chrome 90, you can copy and paste files from your file manager into a website just like you do in your desktop app. For example, to add an attachment in Gmail or any other file to a web application, you don't need to use other tools or the file selection dialog. You can just copy the file to the clipboard via CTRL+C and then hit CTRL+V to paste into the web application you have opened in Chrome.

Windows Naming

If you open a new window or a new tab in Chrome 90, then now it has a new window management feature that you can use for organization purposes. It adds the ability to give windows names. For example, if you have two copies of the same website open, then you can give them short names such as "W1" and "W2" that will let you identify the tabs by just glancing at them. If your browser experiences an unexpected crash, Chrome will also restore the names you have added.

This feature can be found under the three-dot menu icon. Select "More tools" and then select the action "Name window". Or you can simply right-click the window title bar and also select the "Name window" action.

Simpler Access to Gravity Sensor

Chrome 90 makes it much easier for developers to access the data from the gravity sensor. Currently, developers manually collect data from the acceleration sensor and make calculations to find the gravity value and it's pretty cumbersome. The new gravity sensor API allows developers to get this data directly. The new gravity API will help developers to make motion-based apps, such as games, virtual reality simulators, and other apps more accurate. At the moment, the feature is in beta and to access it, you need to edit a configuration flag, and it will take a while until it becomes a stable feature.

Thanks for reading our blog post about the 5 most exciting Chrome 90 features. We also wrote a blog post What's New in Chrome 90 that covers over a dozen other features in this new browser release, as well as security fixes and more developer updates.