Google has quietly added a new feature to Chrome for Android. From v64 onwards, Chrome for Android has the ability to shorten the URLs you share with your friends. So you can now share a clean link without any of that unnecessary tracking information included.

There are countless messaging apps available these days, and all of them offer ample opportunity for us to share URLs with our friends and family. Unfortunately, these links to websites and webpages often have extraneous information tacked onto the end.

Removing the Fluff From URLs

Starting with Chrome 64 on Android, Google is trying to help remove this extraneous information from URLs. As first discovered by Android Police, Google Chrome will now automatically remove the fluff at the end of a link, turning a long URL into a much shorter one.

This is triggered when you use the Share menu in Chrome. Which you can open by clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right-hand corner of Google's mobile browser. This works whether you copy the link or choose to share it directly using another app.

There is one downside to all of this, which is that sometimes you want that extra information to be delivered. If it's anchor tags or referral tags, for example. In which case you can just copy and paste the whole URL from the address bar to keep it intact.

Chrome 64 has introduced a lot of new features, with the headline act being the built-in ad-blocker designed to force websites to stop displaying bad ads. However, this small but cool feature also deserves a mention, even if it's just in passing.

A Potentially Useful Feature

This isn't the biggest or best feature in the world, but for anyone who regularly shares links with their friends, it's a potentially useful one. Unfortunately, because it can remove anchor tags or referral tags it's also potentially annoying. But it's better to have the option.

Do you use Chrome for Android? If so, how often do you share URLs you find while browsing? Have you noticed Chrome shortening links in this way? Or is this too minor a feature for you to have taken any notice? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Marco Verch via Flickr