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Google Chrome Browser, Google Drive Coming to iOS [Now Available]

Thursday June 28, 2012 10:42 am PDT by Jordan Golson
ChromeGoogle announced today that it is releasing a version of its Google Chrome for the iPhone and iPad. The company says it will go live on the App Store later today. Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter predicted last month that Google Chrome was coming to iOS.

While Chrome for iOS will include a number of key features, including incognito mode and tab syncing across devices, the browser will still use Apple's WebKit-based engine required by the App Store developer guidelines. It also will lack the Nitro JavaScript engine that Apple uses to speed Safari's performance. But, there is one main obstacle to Chrome on iOS, as noted by The Next Web:
The biggest hurdle that Chrome features, of course, is that it cannot be set to be the default browser on iOS devices, a capability that Apple also reserves for Safari. So, while you can use the browser to your heart’s content, it will not be the default handler for any URLs clicked. That’s a huge hurdle to overcome.

Google Drive -- the DropBox competitor released earlier this year -- also gained an iOS client. [App Store]

Update: Chrome for iOS is now live on the App Store. [Direct Link]
[ 453 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

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ChazUK
12 months ago

Keep your Google off my Apple devices


I am not a product


Don't download it?
Not that hard is it?
Rating: 50 Positives
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cypherpunks01
12 months ago
Apple, give us the choice!

Competition leads to better browsers.
Rating: 38 Positives
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TvdW
12 months ago
iOS Chrome requires iOS 4.3, while Android Chrome requires Android 4.0. Ironically that means that 99% of the iOS users can use Chrome, while only 10% of the Android users can.
Rating: 34 Positives
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Feed Me
12 months ago
Cool, a chrome Android skin for UIWebView.
Rating: 25 Positives
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vtstarck
12 months ago
More iOS users will have Chrome than Android users.
Rating: 23 Positives
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jontech
12 months ago
Keep your Google off my Apple devices


I am not a product
Rating: 21 Positives
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enklined
12 months ago
Annnnnnd now the wait begins for a jailbreak dev to make a tweak to allow Chrome to be the default browser (pretty please?).

Looking forward to trying Chrome out, though. And, of course, Google Drive.
Rating: 14 Positives
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Lennholm
12 months ago

iOS Chrome requires iOS 4.3, while Android Chrome requires Android 4.0. Ironically that means that 99% of the iOS users can use Chrome, while only 10% of the Android users can.


About as ironic as the fact that iPhone 4(S) is supported on a 11 year old Windows OS but not on a 7 year old Mac OS.
Rating: 14 Positives
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KnightWRX
12 months ago

Wouldn't use this even if they paid me to use it. Trying to cut myself free from all Google products and services.


Yet you posted in this thread. Fascinating.
Rating: 12 Positives
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Snypod
12 months ago
Hopefully now that we have Sparrow and Chrome in the App Store, enough people will complain to Apple and convince them to give users the ability to set default apps.
Rating: 11 Positives

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