“Quieter permission UI” coming to the next version of Chrome

Jan 8, 2020 10:39 GMT  ·  By

Google has recently announced a new update for Chrome 80 that would technically end the struggle with notification spam that we often have to deal with when browsing the web.

The browser will thus get a so-called “quieter notification permission UI” that technically blocks the intrusive notifications from showing up.

Instead, what you’ll get is a bell icon in the address bar to warn you that notifications were blocked – clicking this message, however, allows you to see the content.

Google says users will be able to opt-in manually from Settings, but the feature will also be enabled automatically for users who typically block notification permission requires and on sites with very low opt-in rates.

“The automated enrollment will be enabled gradually after the release while we gather user and developer feedback,” Google says.

Coming to users in Chrome 80

The new feature will go live on both desktop and mobile, and Google says that it’s also working on additional “enforcement” on websites that abuse notifications. Further details, however, will be provided later this year.

“Unfortunately, notifications are also a common complaint as many websites request the notification permission on first visit rather than at contextually relevant moments in the user’s journey. Unsolicited permission requests interrupt the user’s workflow and result in a bad user experience,” Google explains.

The company promises that sites which will be added to the quieter prompts automatically can be unenrolled if they make changes that improve the user experience when loading their pages. Additional information on acceptance rates will be shared in the first quarter of the year in the Chrome User Experience Report.

Developers are recommended to test their site’s permission request flow with the new feature and follow the best practices for notifications on the web to avoid their websites from being caught in the filters.

“Sites that request the permission at contextually relevant moments enjoy lower bounce and higher conversion rates,” Google notes.

Google Chrome 80 is projected to launch in February on all supported platforms.