14 DAY TRIAL // One of the highly-anticipated features that Chrome users expect to get in their favorite mobile browser, Physical Web is about to make its debut on the Android platform.
Google has taken the first steps to bring this feature to Chrome for iOS last year when it released a widget that would allow users to access an on-demand list of web content that is relevant to their surroundings.
Today, the search giant announced that starting in version 49, Chrome for Android will include Physical Web content so the experience will be available to a larger audience.
According to Google, “developers can make their web content discoverable on the Physical Web by configuring an Eddystone-supported beacon to broadcast a URL of their choice with the Eddystone-URL frame type.
“Now that the Physical Web is tightly integrated into Chrome for Android, a single deployment can deliver contextual information to Chrome users across multiple mobile platforms.”
Physical Web content devs can reach users via Beta channel
Furthermore, developers who wish to create Physical Web content will be able to reach Chrome for Android users as well via the Beta channel, which will be rolling out more widely soon.
When Chrome for Android users walk by a beacon for the first time, they will be notified, thus allowing them to enable the Physical Web.
Upon future encounters with beacons, Chrome for Android users will be able to see a list of nearby URLs by simply tapping on a non-vibrating notification that will be implemented in the next version of the browser.
Since this is the first time Android users will be able to experience the Physical Web content, Google reassured Chrome fans that they would continue to improve this feature in the coming months.
You can now download Chrome for Android for free via Google Play Store. The application should be fully compatible with all devices running Android 4.0 and up.