On the PCs and smartphones, the most used browser in the world remains Google Chrome. A new kind of floating notification was introduced recently, which, some would say, can be very annoying. It is these notifications, displaying below tabs, that let us know when certain actions such as copying a link or adding a page to your reading list have taken place.
Chrome New Floating Notifications (Toasts)
However, these floating notifications — which are also referred to as ‘toasts’ — are still in beta testing so they may not yet be visible to all users. These toasts serve a purpose of immediate feedback when done such as pasting a link or adding a page to the reading list. For example, once you copied a link, you are notified by a small ‘Link copied’ message on your screen. It’s also exactly the same when you add a page to your reading list: a floating message pops up confirming that action.
These notifications are supposed to be helpful but a lot of the users find them a nuisance. For now, it doesn’t seem like there is an option in Chrome’s Settings to turn them off, but there is a way to disable them through Chrome’s experimental features.
Disabling Chrome’s Floating Notifications
If these notifications are bothering you, here’s a simple way to turn them off:
- In the Chrome address bar, type chrome://flags and press Enter.
- On the Flags page, type toasts in the search bar at the top.
- When the feature manifests, click on the drop down box next to it.
- There are several timing options (8, 10, 12) seconds and the Enabled option may be selected now.
- To disable the notifications in its entirety, go to the dropdown and select Disabled.
- Select your option and then close then reopen Chrome for the changes to take effect.
One thing to keep in mind here is that even if this feature is an experiment, it might not be offered to all users, or work at all. If you don’t see the option in your flags menu, this means the feature isn’t rolled out completely to your version of Chrome yet.
Chrome’s Future Floating Notifications
This feature is still in beta, and if users don’t love it, it may go away quickly. Developers very often get to try new things with Google before it reaches every user. But if they remain, we might have the floating notifications appear in Chrome’s Settings under the Appearance category.
If you find it distracting, disabling this feature is the best option for now. With lots of users preferring more nuanced user experience while browsing, Google can still prefer to work on other aspects of Chrome, such as memory management rather than embracing these toasts.
Final Thoughts
Chrome’s floating notifications were a perfectly good idea — until they’re not. Lucky for us the disabled steps are easy, even though the feature is experimental. We’ll keep an eye out for any Chrome updates from Google that make further refinements to the experience.