Google rolls out feature to unlock incognito tabs with biometric unlock

By Alexander Chiejina

Google is rolling out a latest feature that would enable IoS and Android phone users to unlock Google Chrome incognito tabs through the use of biometric unlock or password code on their smartphones before exiting the app. Users can activate this feature by going to Chrome Settings > Privacy & Security and turning on the “Lock incognito tabs when they close Chrome” toggle.

When you toggle this feature on, the next time users open the Chrome incognito tab after leaving Google Chrome, the browser will show them a button ‘Unlock Incognito.’ There’s also a ‘See other tabs’ button on the Incognito screen and an overflow menu to close all the other Incognito tabs or settings. To get rid of all the open incognito tabs, force close Google Chrome.

Business A.M. discovered that this feature works well when searching for a topic that users don’t want to appear in their recommendations or history. Users can activate the use of this feature by typing in “chrome://flags/#incognito-reauthentication-for-android” and enable the flag to unlock the feature instantly. Users can also enter this code in their URL bar and activate it once the option appears on the screen.

As part of a broader update, Google said it is updating its safety check feature to send users more personalised recommendations about permissions they have shared with specific sites. For instance, if a site is sending too many notifications, Safety Check will prompt you to change settings for notification access.

Enabling or disabling the feature requires verification on the user’s end. The unlock appears immediately after they exit Google Chrome and return. This feature could come in handy when users hand over their phones to others. The Google Chrome incognito tab fingerprint unlock feature is rolling out to Android users as part of Data Privacy Day.