The tab groups in Chrome now allow synchronization between mobile and desktop devices, and it's a real mess.
Do I want to see my mobile tab groups on my PC? Yes, but only those related to work. My Reddit memes on the desktop, absolutely not. Additionally, users have reported that it exhibits strange behaviors.
In September of last year, Google introduced a new feature that allows users to sync their tab groups across mobile and desktop devices. The company has begun to gradually roll out this feature, and it has been reported that it is already available to some users. Today, when I installed the Chrome v133 update on a OnePlus 13, I noticed the arrival of this new feature, although some users on social media mentioned that it had started to appear several months ago.
When opening Chrome on mobile devices and enabling the tab switcher, a new 2x2 icon is now visible at the top. Tapping it reveals a list of tab groups, maintaining the same color coding used during their creation, both on mobile and desktop. Additionally, the iOS version of Chrome has also included the ability to group tabs, along with sync support.
Generally, I start my tasks on mobile to gather information through social media and official forums, making for a quick review while enjoying a cup of coffee. This two-column approach for synced tab groups is quite helpful for me. I organize news into categories like science, AI, computing, space, among others. When team members connect, I can directly access the correct tab group and share information, in addition to saving articles and videos to read later. However, this convenience has also brought some drawbacks.
Upon activating this feature on my iPad Pro, all my synced tabs opened in a disorganized manner. It turned into an overwhelming chaos that consumed many resources, leading me to close all the tabs. Despite the promise of increased productivity with synced tab groups, there are issues separating recreational activities from work. For those who rely on Chrome for their daily tasks, the number of synced tabs can become overwhelming, causing negative reactions among some users.
Moreover, there have been reports of functionality failures. Several users mentioned losing tab groups when disabling sync, as well as tabs reverting to blank pages after restarting the browser. Such problems have led many to feel frustrated when trying to manage their tabs. There are also complaints about the high resource load involved in maintaining synced tabs, which can lead to inefficient browser performance.
On the other hand, while the iPhone version of Chrome allows for immediate tab grouping after an update, on the iPad Pro it was necessary to enable a hidden option through a Chrome flag, something that many users may not be aware of. Such configurations can result in a complicated user experience, and performance issues compared to other browser applications are evident.
Recently, while testing a laptop with a Snapdragon processor, I experienced performance issues that led me to switch to Edge, where tab grouping is also possible, but the option to sync them across devices was not enabled by default. Finally, I was able to discover an option in Edge that allowed me to sync tab groups in the same way as Chrome, although the process was cumbersome and required additional time. Despite the drawbacks of Chrome and its features, I continue to use its platform, recognizing both its polished functionality and its flaws.
