Google is working on a major overhaul of Chrome’s address bar. Internally called “Composebox,” the project turns the familiar URL bar into a multimodal input surface where users can attach Google Drive files, talk to Gemini, share tabs, upload images, and search.
Based on dozens of code changes currently under review in the Chromium source code, the Composebox is being developed for both desktop and iOS, with the iOS version already being prepared for a default-on rollout.
These features were first spotted by TechDows.com
Google Drive files, right in the address bar
The biggest addition is direct Google Drive integration.
Google is building the ability to attach Drive files inside the Composebox, with a new drive_id field being added to Chrome’s file model to distinguish Drive-origin files from local uploads. Drive files get their own thumbnail icon, separate from regular file attachments.
A new feature flag called composebox-drive-suggestion will let Chrome surface Google Drive file suggestions directly as you type in the address bar.
There’s a sign-in restriction too: the Drive option will only appear when you’re signed into Chrome. Sign out, and the Drive input type disappears entirely. A separate change also hides the Drive input when Search Content Sharing is disabled in Chrome’s privacy settings, giving users a way to opt out.
Google is even adding dedicated icons for different Drive file types, with a new “driveOtherFiles” SVG for compatible file formats that don’t have a specific icon yet.
A “+” button that does everything
On iOS, the Composebox introduces a “+” button on the New Tab Page that opens a context menu with multiple input options. Tap it, and you get access to AI actions, file upload, image upload, Drive files, and voice search. The button is being enabled by default in recent builds.
The menu itself is being actively reorganized. One code change hides the AIM (AI Mode) button from the plus menu since AI is already the default action; showing a dedicated button for it would be redundant.
Chrome is also adding instrumentation to track which menu options users actually click, including actions like “Deep search,” “Add file,” “Add image,” and the AI model they choose. This suggests Google is still actively testing what belongs in the menu and what doesn’t.
Smart Tab Sharing
A feature called “Smart Tab Sharing” is being wired directly into the Composebox. New Mojo interface plumbing adds a toggle for Smart Tab Sharing within the compose UI, and Chrome’s search flow is being rerouted through the composebox controller to tie keyword searches into the tab sharing flow.
The exact user-facing behavior isn’t fully clear yet from the code alone, but the infrastructure points toward being able to share what you’re looking at – a tab, a search result, a document… all directly from the address bar, without opening a separate share sheet.
Voice search that doesn’t quit
A long-standing annoyance with Chrome’s voice search is that it closes when a permission dialog pops up. Google is fixing this: the Composebox will now keep voice search open when the microphone permission prompt appears, resizing the UI to accommodate both. The voice search component also auto-initializes when attached, removing the need for users to wait for it to become ready.
“Omnibox Next” — a full fork of the address bar
Google has created a completely new fork of the composebox under a project called “Omnibox Next.” A new feature flag switches between the current composebox implementation and the forked version. The fork currently contains only a bare input field.
The existing address bar’s focus logic is also being rewired on iOS. When the composebox is enabled, the traditional location bar is no longer in charge of knowing whether the omnibox is focused. The composebox takes over completely.
URL display is getting cleaned up too. Tab chips will drop the “www.” prefix for a cleaner look when showing open tabs in the compose interface.
AI gets out of the way
In AI-related modes (like Gemini conversations), Chrome’s composebox will hide verbatim URL suggestions. When you’re talking to an AI, you don’t need Chrome suggesting literal URLs for what you’re typing – the compose box adapts its suggestions based on context.
There’s also a code change ensuring that autocomplete suggestions refresh when you switch between different AI tool modes, fixing a bug where suggestions would go stale after changing modes.
iOS is first, desktop is next
The iOS rollout appears to be furthest ahead. A code change titled “Enable ComposeboxIOS by default” does exactly what it says – turning on the full Composebox experience for iOS Chrome without requiring users to flip a flag. This is typically the last step before a feature starts rolling out to the stable channel.
On the desktop side, Google filed and then backed away from a change to enable Composebox features by default — the CL is explicitly titled “DO NOT SUBMIT,” suggesting the desktop rollout is being staged more carefully.
The address bar has been Chrome’s most important piece of interface real estate since the browser launched in 2008. Turning it into a multimodal hub — where you can attach files, talk to AI, share tabs, search Drive, and dictate — is one of the bigger UI bets Google has made with Chrome in recent years.
The fact that iOS is getting the full treatment first, with desktop following under a separate “Omnibox Next” project, suggests Google is using mobile to validate the concept before reworking the desktop experience. And the “DO NOT SUBMIT” on the desktop default-enablement CL tells us they’re not rushing it.
None of this has reached Chrome Stable. For now, these changes are scattered across Canary and Dev builds, behind feature flags, still being reviewed. But the direction is clear: Chrome’s address bar is about to do a lot more than show URLs.
The post Exclusive: Google plans to transform Chrome’s address bar with Drive, Gemini, and shared tabs integration appeared first on Techdows.