Google is rolling out a new feature for Chrome that will add a bookmark bar to the browser on Android foldables and tablets. It's rolling out in version 146 of the browser's Android version, which just dropped today. While seemingly incremental, the change addresses a real usability frustration that tablet users have faced for years.
Until now, accessing bookmarks on Android required digging through the three-dot menu and navigating to the Bookmarks section. The mobile version of the bookmarks bar will appear below the Omnibox, displaying Favicons and site names. A chevron will appear to scroll deeper into the list of bookmarks, and a long press on a bookmark will display the entire URL. For anyone who works on a tablet regularly, this matters.
If you're excited to take advantage of this new tool, you'll have to manually enable it. Navigate to Settings, then Appearance, and toggle "Show bookmarks bar." By default, the feature remains hidden on narrow screens like phones, which makes practical sense given screen constraints.
Instead of burying bookmarks inside menus, Chrome now surfaces frequently used sites directly beneath the address bar, mirroring how Chrome has worked on desktops for years. Rather than redesigning Chrome from scratch, Google is selectively importing features that make sense on larger screens. That approach also aligns with Google's push to make Android tablets more competitive as work devices, particularly alongside ChromeOS and larger foldables.
The limitation is important to acknowledge. The bookmark bar currently appears to be limited to Android tablets. On phones, the feature does not show up, even when the toggle is present or enabled. That limitation makes sense from a layout perspective. Phones simply do not have the vertical space to permanently display a bookmark bar without sacrificing content.
Google has not made a formal announcement about the bookmark bar rollout. There is no public timeline, no blog post, and no confirmation about broader availability. That suggests a gradual rollout, possibly tied to server-side configuration or specific Chrome versions. Some users may not see the toggle immediately, even with Chrome 146 installed.
The bookmark bar is not flashy, but it addresses a real usability gap. It removes unnecessary steps, improves consistency with desktop Chrome, and makes bookmarks feel like a first-class feature again. For tablet users, particularly those who move between devices throughout the day, the change smooths friction in an everyday task.