An Insider’s Look at Google Chrome for the iPhone and iPad

For those who did not read my “Back To Blogging” post earlier this week, I want to let you know that my tech domain – techivy dot com expired and I could not get it back from the current owner. Hence, I am porting all the posts from that site to DMC. These posts will be marked under the category of ‘TECHIVY’ so the readers will know they were written a while back. 

Also I had some guest writers on Techivy and if you think this post is written by you, please let me know so I can give proper credit to you as the author. 

So here is one of first posts from TECHIVY. I hope you still find it useful. 

Google Chrome is a wildly popular browser for both Mac and PC computers. (Google claims it is the most popular browser in the world). However, it has only recently become available on the iPad and iPhone. On June 28th, 2012, Google announced and launched the app at the same time, prompting users who had previously been forced to use others browsers to wonder if it was worth switching to Chrome.

The Outlook

Because Apple and Google programs don’t always work together as smoothly as they might, there are some possible downsides to Chrome for iPad and iPhone. Alternate web browsers (of which Chrome is now one) on iOS do not get access to Apple’s faster but less secure JavaScript Nitro, and must use UIWebView to render HTML. All of this means that Chrome will be slower than Safari on Apple devices.

Chrome Sync Capabilities

One of Chrome’s most beloved features is the ability to sync between multiple devices. In this modern era where most people have at least a computer and a smartphone, syncing your web browser is more than just convenient. If you have a tablet in addition, it’s practically necessary. When you are logged into more than one device with Chrome open, the browsers automatically sync.

The way the sync system works, if users look up movie times on their home computers (in Chrome) and then leave with the browser still open, launching Chrome on their iPhones will land them right at those movie times. Leaving the movie times page makes the home computer display the new browser window, as well. This means that if someone is liable to be looking at one of your Chrome-enabled devices, use Incognito browsing or don’t go anywhere embarrassing.

Appearance and Functions of Chrome for iPad and iPhone

Photo Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/6972673062/sizes/n/in/photostream/

The Chrome app for iPad and iPhone is clean and well-designed. It has some Android-like features, such as the close button in the typical right-hand side position rather than on the left like Apple, but nothing that is too surprising or unusual. Users are allowed infinite tabs, and it is easy (though a bit different on each) to scroll through them on both the iPad and iPhone.

The address field on the app has a smart function that attempts to guess what you are entering. In most cases, it manages to find what you are looking for before you have to tap the ‘go’ button. The scrolling on some data-heavy pages is a bit slower than Safari, which is likely caused by the lack of access the Google app has in the iOS system.

One minor issue that does not occur due to a problem with the app is that Apple does not let users choose a different default browser. This means that clicking on things that open links, such as email or Twitter, opens Safari instead of taking you there in Chrome. This is a minor annoyance that has nothing to do with Google’s programming, but is down to Apple’s choice not to allow user options in web browsers.

The Conclusion? Looks Pretty Good

The upsides of the app significantly outweigh the downsides, especially for users who are already employing Chrome on some of their other devices. The problems with Chrome are mostly related to Apple constraints on outside software, not the app itself. For this reason, if you need a website to load extremely quickly, Safari might be your best choice. However, day-to-day web-browsing needs are more than met in Chrome.

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