As promised back in October, Google with Chrome 47 for Windows, Mac, and Linux has removed the desktop notification centre. Several bug fixes also come as part of the update. The search giant has also rolled out Chrome 47 for iOS with some new features. Chrome 47 for Android is expected to hit Google Play soon.
Google in October announced its plans to remove the Chrome desktop notification centre because not many users utilised it, and some had even disabled it. It was introduced in 2013. The feature however, is still present in Chrome OS for now. Google added that in this version, notifications sent to the notification centre would result in an error "and API events tied to the centre will no longer fire."
Google Chrome 47 besides removing the notification centre also included several bug fixes, most of which were detected using AddressSanitizer and MemorySanitizer codes, says the blog post. It also lists 41 security fixes as a part of its bounty rewards programme. The version has already been rolled out for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
On iOS, Chrome 47 adds support for more hardware keyboard shortcuts. iOS users can now open, close and change tabs or conduct a voice search by using Bluetooth and Smart Connector hardware keyboards. Chrome for iOS also brings support for 3D Touch for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models. 3D Touch on the Chrome icon will open a new tab, a new incognito tab or trigger voice search. The app is available to download from App Store.
As for Chrome 47 for Android, the version has been in beta since October, and several features are expected to make it to. As per the blog post by Google, Chrome 47 Beta for Android will let developers add splash screens to Web apps when a site is launched from the Android home screen. This would show users 'something meaningful' as the content is loaded in the background. "Developers can customize the splash screen by setting a name, icon, background color, and notification bar color in the web app manifest," adds the post. The version will also allow developers to configure automatic dismissal of desktop notifications to improve the experience for notifications coming from social media websites and emails. The blog post lists other upcoming updates as well.
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