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Did Samsung Internet Browser swipe this polarizing feature from Apple?

Some might say it copied the feature from Apple, but Apple wasn't first to offer this, either.
By
November 3, 2021
Samsung Internet Browser listing
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
  • The Samsung Internet Browser beta now allows you to move the URL bar to the bottom of the screen.
  • This comes months after Safari on the iOS 15 beta offered the same feature.
  • Apple wasn’t the first to adopt this option though.

The Samsung Internet Browser has plenty of fans, owing to a variety of neat features and integration with Samsung’s own functionality. Now, a beta version of the app has enabled a handy new feature that was seemingly inspired by rival platforms.

Apple Insider and SamMobile reported that the latest beta version of the Samsung Internet Browser now allows users to move the URL bar to the bottom of the screen. The former outlet notes that this apes a Safari feature in the iOS 15 beta.

However, it’s worth noting that moving a phone browser’s URL bar to the bottom of the screen isn’t anything new. Windows Phone 8 and above had this feature for years before Apple and Samsung adopted it, and Google has experimented with this on the mobile version of Chrome too.

Related: The best Android internet browsers worth downloading

Then again, the timing of Samsung’s decision is interesting, suggesting that it was indeed inspired by Apple rather than previous takes on the feature. In any event, this change makes sense given the fact that phone screens are taller than ever. Some iPhone users hated the change when Apple did it though, as the URL bar was floating over webpage content rather than being docked. So we hope Samsung learned from this path.

The Samsung Internet Browser also gains Chrome and Safari’s tab groups feature, which allows you to organize tabs into groups (obviously) and name them. So either way, fans of Samsung’s browser are getting some welcome additions.