What you need to know
- Samsung starts rolling out a new update that brings layout options on mobile to tablets.
- Tablet users can now shift the address bar to the bottom of their display along with their bookmarks.
- A new warning has been included with this update if a user has too many active tabs.
Samsung is finally pushing an update out for its tablet users that brings in some welcome changes that have long since existed on phones.
Samsung Internet is the Korean OEM's default browsing across all of its mobile devices and tablets. As spotted by SamMobile, the Korean OEM has started rolling out an update for the browser that gives tablets some new "layout and menu" options. The update has come with firmware version 21.0.0.41, available on the Galaxy Store.
The changes are coming through for v21.0, which previously underwent a short beta phase, as mentioned in a Samsung Internet Developers post on Medium. Most of the new options rolling in can be toggled on or off, such as the "show address bar at bottom." This option benefits bigger screens like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as it not only moves the address bar to the bottom of your screen but also the bookmark bar. Previously, if a user were to shift the address bar to the bottom of the screen, the bookmark bar would disappear entirely.
Samsung states this was done to "provide maximum flexibility for our users."
However, it doesn't appear as though users can move around each bar separately. Perhaps this could be something Samsung can do in the future if there's enough support behind such a customization option.
Two more options have been included with this update: "show tab bar" and "show tab bar next to address bar." Each of these options serves a purpose closer to clearing up your view if you're not interested in seeing extra things during your browsing.
The Samsung developers mentioned that users with many (many) tabs would begin to see a warning when they are about to reach Samsung Internet's capacity for active tabs. Upon approaching 99 active tabs, the browser will initially alert you that you are approaching this limit. If you were to open tab 100, Samsung Internet will close the oldest one automatically, followed by a pop-up asking if you'd like to reopen it.
SamMobile also noticed this change appearing on the updated stable version of Samsung Internet.
As previously mentioned, the update is already available for users to update from the Galaxy Store. The Google Play Store should receive the update as the week progresses if that is a more suitable choice.
If you're looking for a large display for gaming, working, or to even relax with, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra might be for you. Samsung DeX is a major player with this tablet, offering users a near-laptop replacement-like experience on a tablet. The Tab S8 Ultra is light enough to carry and hold without getting too tired.
