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Google tests Chrome notifications in Mac OS X notification center, removes merged tabs on Android

Chrome 47 removed the rarely used notification center from desktops last year, but many Mac users have long wondered why the browser doesn’t use the native OS X center for notifications. Now, it appears Google is actively working on adding that feature and a preview is available in the Canary channel. Additionally, Chrome Dev for Android has removed merge tabs and has a redesigned bookmarks widget…

Users have been asking for Chrome to integrate with the Mac notification center since 2013. In the Chromium issue tracker, Google assigned this feature in August of 2014, but there hasn’t been much progress until last September when Chrome’s notification feature was removed.

Yesterday, a Googler revealed that they are actively working on integrating this feature. Users on the Canary channel can test it out by turning on the ‘Enable native notifications’ flag. However, the feature is not yet “100% clear” and there might be some roadblocks. The flag is also available on the Stable channel, but Google notes the most up-to-date behavior and UX is available in Canary.

On the equivalent Dev channel for Android, Chrome has permanently removed the merged tabs feature that displayed individual tabs in multitasking view. In Chrome 49, the featured was turned off by default for new users and the feature will likely be removed in future versions. Chrome Dev 51 has also finally updated the bookmarks widget and removed the small site previews for a simple list of links.

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