Chrome for Android is getting a new ‘Tab Declutter’ trick

Is ‘declutter’ even a real word? Regardless of whether it is or not, you know what we’re talking about, here. Declutter conjures up images of cleaning up, organizing, and introducing organization to an otherwise disorganized thing. If you’re like many Chrome users out there (you know who I’m talking about) who hoard gobs of open tabs on their phones to the point where Chrome gives up and simply shows you a smiley face instead of the whopping number of open tabs up top, then the upcoming ‘Tab Declutter’ feature might be right down your alley.

This isn’t Google’s first attempt at helping users manage open tab overload. In early 2020, Chrome for Android started suggesting the closure of older, unused tabs. As someone who closes tabs with great intent all the time, this was never really a feature I used. I imagined, however, that plenty of users found utility in this and with a simple nudge would remember to go and clean up all those open, unused tabs.

A New ‘Tab Declutter’ Approach

Uncovered by 9to5 Google, Chrome’s newest experimental feature looks to make things a bit more assertive. The upcoming ‘Tab Declutter’ looks to automatically archive tabs after a period of inactivity. This theoretically streamlines your tab list and improves Chrome’s performance on your phone. You’ll still be able to review your archived tabs and decide if you want to restore or permanently delete any of them, but this could be a bit more helpful for many users who simply leave tabs open out of forgetfulness.

If done right, ‘Tab Declutter’ could finally address rampant tab buildup without forcing you to make difficult choices in the moment. On the other hand, if not handled properly, it could become an incredibly frustrating addition for users. For those that might leave quite a few tabs open in the background on purpsose while doing a bit of research, seeing those tabs get archived without consent could be irritating.

We’ll keep an eye on this one as it develops. Though in the works, it could be a few versions of Chrome before we actually see it arrive. I’d hope Google wrangles in a bit of AI on this one to help Chrome be a tad bit more savvy when deciding what to archive and what to keep front and center. This is one of those situations where AI could really provide a useful assist in the background. Time will tell, I suppose, and until then you’ll just have to manage those tabs all on your own.