GoKawiilEdgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR Google Chrome may soon gain an easier way to access the Ask Gemini shortcut while highlighting text.
This updated shortcut will also instantly copy the highlighted text to the Gemini side panel, saving some time in the process.
The feature was spotted in a Chrome Canary release, and it’s unclear when it may be widely available to all Chrome users.
It’s hard to use a Google product today without seeing some form of Gemini integration, and the Chrome browser is no exception. Gemini in Chrome was expanded earlier this year to include more regions and languages, and it now looks like Google is prepping some additional quality-of-life improvements for this integration.
The folks over at Windows Report have uncovered a new Ask Gemini toolbar that appears when text on a webpage is highlighted. This toolbar contains an “Ask Gemini” button, along with shortcuts for Copy, Share, and a three-dot menu.
It’s not just a visual addition, though. As the source notes, tapping the “Ask Gemini” shortcut from this toolbar will automatically copy the highlighted text and paste it into the Gemini side panel.
It’s hard to determine where the three-dot menu would be located from these screenshots. Nevertheless, we know its contents, namely “Hide for this site” and “Settings.” The former will prevent the toolbar from appearing on that particular website, while Settings redirects users to Chrome’s standard settings page, per the publication.
While this can already be achieved by highlighting the text and using the “Ask Gemini” shortcut in the right-click menu (as shown above), the newly surfaced toolbar in Chrome Canary eliminates a couple of steps.
Some further digging by Windows Report has revealed a dedicated settings page for this toolbar, which may contain an exception list for sites where the pop-up shouldn’t appear.
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