Google has begun rolling out an update to Chrome on Android and iOS in the United States that adds an AI Mode shortcut to the browser’s new tab page, placing the feature prominently below the browser’s signature search bar. The change makes access to the mode more visible to users opening a new tab.
The new shortcut appears on the first screen users see when opening a tab and is positioned directly beneath Chrome’s search field. In messaging accompanying the update, Google described the functionality as enabling users to “ask more complex, multi-part questions, and then dive even deeper into a topic with follow-up questions a…,” a characterization included in the company’s announcement of the rollout. The placement and description underline the company’s effort to highlight conversational or generative capabilities inside the browser experience.
Making the AI Mode shortcut a conspicuous element of the new tab page is likely to increase discovery and use of the feature by mobile users in the United States. Because the control sits under the existing search bar, users who open Chrome’s new tab page will encounter the AI Mode option without navigating through menus or settings. The update applies to both Android and iOS builds of Chrome and has been described by Google as a rollout, indicating that availability to individual users will expand over time rather than appearing simultaneously for everyone.
The change follows broader industry moves to integrate AI-driven features more deeply into core consumer applications, where visibility and ease of access are central to adoption. For Chrome users, the new shortcut may alter how they approach queries and research on mobile devices by offering an alternate, AI-driven interaction pathway directly from the browser’s home screen.
At present the company has begun the rollout in the United States on Android and iOS; Google’s communications note the feature in that market. The rollout status, including any timeline for wider international availability or details about user controls and opt-out options, was not outlined in the material accompanying the update excerpt provided here. As the deployment continues, further notices from Google or incremental availability in app updates will determine when and how broadly the AI Mode shortcut appears for Chrome users outside the initial market.