As browser wars heat up, Chrome adds new productivity features

Google Chrome adds three new features

Google is rolling out three new features for Chrome: Split View, PDF annotations, and a Save to Google Drive option. The company announced the official launch on Thursday, marking a push to integrate Chrome more deeply with its other services.

The additions are not AI-focused, but they arrive as Google faces new competition. AI-first companies like OpenAI and Perplexity are experimenting with agentic browsers, pressuring Google to accelerate its consumer feature development.

How the new Chrome features work

Split View lets you place two web pages side-by-side in a single tab. You can use it to watch a video while taking notes or compare two documents.

To activate it, drag a tab to the left or right edge of the browser window. You can also right-click a link and select "Open Link in Split View." The tabs will snap into place automatically.

The new PDF annotation tool allows you to highlight text and add notes directly in the browser. This eliminates the need to download a PDF and open it in a separate application.

• Digitally sign documents
• Fill out forms
• Make notes within personal files

The Save to Google Drive feature lets you save any PDF directly to your Drive account instead of your local computer. Saved files go into a dedicated "Saved from Chrome" folder for easy retrieval.

Chrome is playing catch-up

This update follows last month's expansion of Gemini AI features to Chromebook users. Google is also preparing to add support for vertical tabs, a popular interface change pioneered by its competitors.

Tech-savvy users can already enable vertical tabs in Chrome's experimental flags. The feature was a flagship of The Browser Company's Arc browser and is now in its AI browser, Dia.

By adopting these features, Google aims to give Chrome users fewer reasons to switch to newer, AI-centric alternatives. The so-called browser wars are pushing the company to move faster on consumer updates after years of relative stagnation.