With a Tuesday update to its Chrome browser for iOS, Google expanded its new "material design" aesthetic to yet another iOS title, while baking in Handoff support for quick platform switching between iOS and Mac.
Chromeversion 40.0.2214.61 is the latest Google app to feature so-called material design, a user interface aesthetic derived from Android that blends shadows, clean lines and bold colors. Google first introduced the UI to iOS last month with its flagship Google search app.
Looks aside, Chrome is one of the first iOS browsers to build in compatibility with Apple's latest Handoff technology, which lets users seamlessly transition their browsing between devices, including a nearby Mac. Google says the app will handoff from Chrome to a user's default browser, though in our tests the app seems to prefer Chrome for Mac.
In addition to funcitonal enhancements, the latest Chrome for iOS brings optimizations for iOS 8 and visual assets to support larger handsets like the iPhone 6 Plus.
Finally, Google notes generic bug fixes and performance improvements were conducted as part of the usual update process.
Google's Chrome Web browser for iOS comes in at 58MB and is free to download from the iOS App Store.