Google is getting ready to test a side panel for Chrome. We will soon see content from the new Read Later service in a side panel.
Update: There is now an option to add the current tab to the reading list:
Story of the Side Panel
Google played around with side tabs for Chrome back in 2010 and dropped the feature completely.
In 2020, Edge got a side panel. Microsoft also added a Collections feature to Edge.
Google has been testing the Read Later service for a while now. It lets you add webpages to something that I like to call a “temporary bookmark” to read later.
For now, the list of links that you add to Read Later opens as a popup panel. However, a code change request that I spotted talks about adding a Side Panel to Chrome to host Read Later content.
Side panel – The Flag
The code change request simply says this: “Add side-panel prototype using read later”.
The feature request bug also says almost the same thing: “Experiment with hosting some content in a side panel.”
Flag name and description are even shoter but interesting:
Side panel: Host some content in a side panel
Does that mean, we will see more than “Read Later” content on the sidebar?
Summary
We should see an early version of Chrome’s Side Panel in one of the upcoming Canary channel updates. Untill then, it is difficult to guess its looks and features.
I believe the Chrome Side Panel will look a lot like Edge’s new side panel. What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below.
Stay tuned to Chrome Story for more updates on this story.
Source: Chromium Gerrit and Chromium Bugs.
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