If you use incognito mode in Chrome, Google has some very good news

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Google has good news for web surfers using Chrome’s incognito mode (Image: GOOGLE• GETTY)

Google is working on an experimental new feature that could dramatically improve incognito mode in the Google Chrome web browser, making it even more personal. As noted by Ghacks, a setting has appeared in the Canary version of Chrome – used to test upcoming features in beta – for Android that locks incognito tabs behind biometrics.

That means you’ll need to verify your identity with a face or fingerprint scan before you can access the browser tabs currently open in Incognito mode. For those who don’t know, Incognito doesn’t log your Google searches or internet history and suspends all extensions – keeping what you visit in your browser more private than in regular Chrome mode.

The setting was first noticed in the Chromium Gerrit code repository and is currently not active even in the Canary version of Chrome.

However, it can be rolled out in Chrome version 94, which is currently launching around September 21, 2021.

Should the in-the-works feature look familiar, it’s because Chrome for iOS can lock incognito tabs behind the biometric tools found on Apple devices, such as Face ID.

READ MORE: Google Delayed Chrome’s Most Controversial Change by a Year

Android phones come in many more variants than the iPhone, which may be one reason Android devices take longer to receive a similar feature.

Not all Android devices have facial recognition or fingerprint scanner – or both.

As a result, there may be a wider range of settings for locking incognito tabs in Chrome for Android.

For phones without facial or fingerprint authentication, Google may use an Android phone’s unlock pattern or unlock code instead.

At this point, it’s unclear whether Google will extend these kinds of additional Incognito protections to other platforms, such as the desktop version of Chrome or Chrome OS.

In other Google Chrome news, earlier this month, it was revealed that Google is working on another new security tool for Chrome.

The privacy and security assessment tool is part of Chrome’s Safety Check feature that was introduced a while ago.

Google Pixel fingerprint scanner

Biometrics can be used to add an extra layer of security to Google Chrome for Android (Image: GETTY)

The new feature came with Chrome 94 Canary and says users can “see the most important privacy and security controls in one place”.

There will be a number of new options available to users, including the ability to automatically clear cookies and site data when all Chrome windows are closed.

Elsewhere, the “make searches and browsing better” section lets you fine-tune what you share with Google.

If you enable this feature, you will share the URL of pages you visit to help Google understand browsing behavior.

The tech giant says this will lead to a faster browser, as it means Chrome can proactively load “specific further content based on the current page.”

It also offers improved browsing as suggestions appear in the Omnibox before you start typing.

If you’d rather not share this kind of data, you can make sure the feature is turned off in the privacy and security review section.

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Neela
Neela
I work as the Content Writer for Gaming Ideology. I play Quake like professionally. I love to write about games and have been writing about them for two years.

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