Chrome Beta for Android has seen another update, this one bringing it to version 32. It fixes a few known issues, and brings to light a few that still need fixing. Like most updates, it’s incremental, but interesting.
To start with, there are two known bugs. The first has to do with scrolling, as the Chrome team lets us know that coloration can occur in the background. Oddly, it notes vertical scrolling, not horizontal. The other bug has to do with the double-tap-to-zoom feature getting stuck at times. That’s a little known gesture allowing us to double-tap the screen, hold on the second tap, then drag to zoom in. This, of course, works just like the pinch-to-zoom, you just don’t need to use both fingers.
The upside is pretty interesting, where we find that adding a shortcut to the home screen is back. That’s a feature in which we can take a mobile website, and add it to the home screen, just like an app. This is really nice for those sites you love that don’t have a native app, or when their app is just plain terrible. Web apps also load faster in some cases, so give it a shot.
The second update is one we’re excited to see, as a new API is out for Chrome. This one is a vibration API, which allows some web apps to make your device vibrate. This could deb useful for gaming, accessibility, you name it. It also adds a depth to mobile web pages not yet seen, so it will be interesting to see what Developers do with it.
If you don’t already have Chrome Beta for Android, go ahead and grab it from the Play Store. It puts you on the cusp of what’s next for Chrome on mobile devices, and can be a lot of fun to try out newer stuff.
