Chrome 156 rolls out to Googlebooks with Alt+Tab fix

Google has begun rolling out Chrome 156 to Googlebooks through the Play Store, according to 9to5google.com. The update introduces one new feature alongside 13 improvements across the browser's address bar, tabs, downloads and extension support.

The new capability is a “Save As” dialog that lets users choose where downloads are saved. Google also fixed a duplicate file naming issue that affected downloads.

Keyboard behaviour changes in the update: Alt+Tab now switches windows on fullscreen sites and apps when keyboard lock is on, without the user having to hold Esc first. Alt+Shift+Enter opens a typed query in a new background tab while keeping the current page open, and the Up and Down arrows now move the cursor between lines when address bar text wraps.

Elsewhere, hover tooltips have been added to items in the address bar's AI Mode menu, and that menu now carries an “Add to your search” header for adding tabs and files. The AI Mode animation now waits for the expansion to complete before playing, and the address bar correctly shows the “Ask anything” hint text and a blinking cursor when viewing AI Mode history.

Google also improved copying of large selections and tables in Google Docs, Facebook Live stream performance, and stability for 1Password, other extensions and third-party apps. Site and Google icons now appear correctly when clicking into the address bar, stale site icons are removed when the URL bar is cleared, the close button now dismisses third-party sign-in prompts, and the context menu opens when right-clicking links on the Incognito new tab page.

Rollout timing

The Chrome 156 stable release began on desktop and mobile a week before the Googlebook rollout and is not yet fully available for Android phones and tablets, per 9to5google.com. The previous Chrome for Googlebooks update arrived two weeks earlier.