Google is introducing four new features to the autofill tool in its Chrome browser that it says will help you buy gifts or travel more efficiently over the holidays. The changes will reduce the number of clicks people have to make when completing these kinds of forms on websites, the company said in a blog post on Friday (Dec. 5).
One update provides the browser with greater integration with the Google account of a signed-in user. This allows Chrome to safely surface the user’s name, email address, and home and work addresses when they are required to fill out forms.
“This seamless handoff simplifies your first connection with a new site: exactly where you left off in the sign-in process, on all browsers and devices,” Ali Sarraf, senior product manager for Chrome, wrote in the post. “It’s fast and accurate, and will begin rolling out to desktop, Android, and iOS today.”
There’s also a new Chrome feature that works with Google Wallet to automatically fill in loyalty card numbers, travel details, or vehicle identification numbers. The feature is meant to help users snag rewards without reaching for their card, whether they are booking a flight, renting a car, or getting a quote for auto insurance.
“To try out these new smart filling flows, turn on enhanced autofill in your Chrome settings,” Sarraf said in the post.
A third notable advancement in the browser is a two-line layout for autofill suggestions in Chrome on Android. This new view fixes the previously compressed autofill suggestions and makes it easier for users to select the right option, according to the post.
“Bolstering this privacy, we bring Europe’s favorite features, like more accurate addresses in certain regions (such as ‘between streets’ vertices in Mexico, and soon a new property system to support phonetic names in Japan),” Sarraf wrote in the post.
“This has made form-filling even better in many parts of the world, and we’ve expanded that capability to even more forms in Chrome so that everyone, everywhere can enjoy a little fewer interruptions throughout their day,” Sarraf added.
In an earlier update to Chrome’s autofill, Google announced in November that the browser can now populate a user’s passport, driver’s license, vehicle license plate, and vehicle identification number (VIN).
This feature is built on the addresses, logins , and payment details that the browser can already automatically complete. “We’ve built Enhanced Autofill to be private and secure,” wrote Nico Jersch, the app manager for Chrome at Google, in a Nov. 3 blog post.
