The days of drop-down menus could be numbered in Chrome

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Autofill suggestions has been a great time-saving feature of Chrome for quite some time, and Google is now looking to give it something of an overhaul in the Android version of the browser. We're not talking about all drop-down menus, but those relating to autofill suggestions in the mobile version of the browser.

At the moment, when Chrome suggests data for forms – such as payment information and addresses – it does so in a dropdown. But with a new experiment, this changes so the same information is instead displayed as individual items above the keyboard for easy selection with a tap.

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Google has had a hidden setting in Chrome for quite some time called 'Autofill suggestions as keyboard accessory view'. The title is quite a mouthful, and not particularly helpful, but the description explains the idea behind it: 'Shows Autofill suggestions on top of the keyboard rather than in a dropdown.'

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Although the setting has been available in the browser for several years, activating it didn't do anything – until now. As noted by Android Police, people who enabled the setting way back in 2015 are only now seeing any effect – the new display method for autofill information.

Now that testing for the new look options is underway, it is worth enabling the setting so you can try it out for yourself. You can enable the feature using the following steps:

Launch Chrome and pay a visit to chrome://flags/#autofill-keyboard-accessory-view
Set the flag to Enabled
Restart Chrome

If you have enabled this in Chrome 90 or newer, you should start to see the new method of displaying autofill suggestions. At the moment it is difficult to tell whether Google intends to give the feature a wider rollout and a more prominent way of activating it, but we'll keep our eye on what happens.

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Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

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