Chrome Browser for iOS Gets Support for The Physical Web from the Today View

Google's most recent update to Chrome Browser for iOS stealthily brings support for The Physical Web from the Today view.

The Chrome team is beaming to announce the launch of Chrome 44 for iOS. Chrome 44.0.2403.65 is now available in the AppStore.

Newness in this release includes:
● Swipe to navigate: swipe right or left to navigate backwards and forwards
● Support for accessing Physical Web content from the Today view
● Stability improvements and bug fixes


The Physical Web aims to enable interaction with anything on demand. The idea is that people should be able to walk up to any smart device - a vending machine, a poster, a toy, a bus stop, a rental car - and not have to download an app first. Everything should be just a tap away.



How does it work?
A small utility on the phone scans for URLs that are nearby. Google is using the open Eddystone-URL Bluetooth beacon format to find nearby URLs without requiring any centralized registrar. They also support finding URLs through Wifi using mDNS and uPnP.

You can then interact with the device without needing to download a standalone app. The Physical Web approach unlocks use cases that would never be practical if a dedicated app were required. For example: a cat collar can let you call to find the owner, a bus can tell you its next stop, a parking meters can pay in the cloud, etc.


Learn more about The Physical Web here. You can download Chrome from the App Store for free.

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