fingerprint

Google unveiled a feature enabling fingerprint access to Chrome Incognito tabs as a celebration of Data Privacy Day. In 2021, this feature was made available to iOS users, and it is now available to Android users too.

The Android version of Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode will soon be more private. Google Chrome Incognito tabs will now be automatically locked whenever the browser is closed for Android users thanks to a new feature.

Users will now be able to unlock them using their smartphone’s fingerprint scanner and biometric authentication. In a blog post announcing the deployment of the Google Chrome feature, the company states that Android users would need biometric authentication to resume their Incognito tabs after closing and reopening the app. The Incognito session will therefore be inaccessible to anyone but the device’s owner.

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According to the corporation, the feature is being rolled out to Google Chrome users on Android. It is important to note that users must activate the feature in Google Chrome’s Settings menu because it is not turned on by default.

Users can open Chrome’s settings menu, click on Privacy & Security, and then select Lock incognito tabs whenever they leave Chrome to activate this new privacy option. Once enabled, the feature will be available, and users will need to use their phone’s fingerprint sensor to “unlock” their Incognito tabs.

Additionally, users must give verification, like their phone PIN or pattern, in order to enable or disable this feature. By browsing incognito, users can avoid saving their activity data to their device or Gmail accounts and keep their search history secret.

In the meanwhile, Google has provided five tips for providing a secure browsing environment in advance of Data Privacy Day, which is observed on January 28.

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The capabilities allow users to use Chrome’s password manager on Android, iOS, and desktop to store and automatically fill passwords on their devices, as well as the ability to remove the browser’s data, including history, cookies, and cache, from a certain time or completely.

According to reports, Google is also developing a completely revamped menu with a new toggle that would allow users to instantly disable all harmful extensions. Extensions will be disabled and possibly harmful extensions will be blocked by the new toggle. Similar “pause extensions on this site” options are available in Microsoft Edge as well. The brand-new feature is now in development and is accessible in Chrome Canary.

Chrome is also enhancing Safety Check with “more personalized recommendations and reminders about what you have previously shared with websites and find those controls in one place to revoke permissions and protect your privacy.”