Google Chrome is a neat little browser that is packed with many useful applications to improve browsing experience or test out some applications without having to install a full program. However, Chrome also has some interesting and helpful features that users are not usually aware of.
Tech Times already taught readers how to steer clear of fake information and avoid confusion using the Fake News Alert application in Nov. 2016. Now we are back to show readers some noteworthy features that Google Chrome users may fund useful.
YouTube user ThioJoe uploaded a video on Dec. 22 which showed 11 hidden Chrome features but Tech Times will only feature five features in his list which we think really falls under "hidden" and readers would want to know about. The first three features are actually useful while the last two are more for your downtime.
Mute Tab
Browsing for information in the internet usually means users need to open up several tabs. However, some websites are programmed to automatically play videos and advertisements in certain sections of the page and this sometimes rattles users who are unprepared for the barrage of noise from such sites.
It is a good thing that, like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome now allows users to mute an entire tab instead of having to look for which tab is making the noise and which part of the website the video is playing. The only problem is, users will have to manually enable this setting and it is not in an obvious place (like the settings page).
What a user has to do to enable the Mute Tab function is to open Google Chrome and type in Chrome://Flags in the address bar. This will open up a list of hidden settings and all you have to do next is to find and enable the "Tab audio muting UI control" setting and you're done.
Once this is enabled, Chrome will show an audio/speaker symbol on the tab which is playing an audio and clicking the symbol would automatically mute the entire tab.
Play and Broadcast Any Media File
Google Chrome can be used as a playback device for any media file and all a user has to do is to drag a file to an empty Chrome tab. The added bonus is that, if you use the "Cast" feature in the browser the user can actually broadcast the media playing on their browser to their Chromcast enabled televisions.
Find Android Smartphones
Like Apple's "Find my iPhone," Google Chrome also offers the same feature for Android phone users. If you find yourself at a loss on where you could have possible left your Android device, all you have to do is type in "Find My Phone" in the browser's address bar and it will open up a page giving users an idea of how and where to find their phone. Of course, you will probably have to log-in to make full use of the features.
Chrome Experiments
Google actually hosts a website containing experimental applications developers are working and users can take a look at the unfinished products. Just type in www.chromeexperiments.com in the address bar and check out some demos.
T-Rex Game
Chrome users usually see a T-Rex whenever they lose their internet connection but not all users know that it is also a game they can play to pass the time.
Still, you don't have to wait to lose your connection to play it. Just type in chrome://network-error/-106 in the address bar and get ready to hit the space bar to make the running T-Rex jump over cacti.
If you want to know more, watch the video below.
