Prone to web surfing? Google Chrome’s new Focus Mode fights internet distractions

By Michael Archambault Published April 9, 2019

Have you ever tried to concentrate hard on your work, but found yourself quickly becoming distracted by adorable cat photos on Reddit or videos on YouTube? Google might have a solution to help us fight our short attention spans and it’s called Focus Mode. While it may not exist yet, Focus Mode appears to be right around the corner. A new flag has been detected within Google Chrome that signals whether or not the mode is switched on.

Different applications have tackled the problem of getting people to focus while working on a computer, with software solutions available for both Mac and PC. Now, Google will also be stepping into the ring. Little information is known about the feature, except that it will soon be making its way to the world’s most popular web browser. The flag notes that if “#focus-mode” is enabled, it allows a user to switch to Focus Mode.

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But what exactly is Focus Mode and how could it work? At the moment, we can only speculate on what features the new option might offer to users — or should we say lack of features? Typically, enabling a focus mode will restrict specific websites or applications from being accessed. It is possible that once activated, Focus Mode may stop a user from browsing sites such as YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook. Some have suggested that the mode may integrate with Windows 10‘s Focus Assist.

Available on PCs running Windows 10, Focus Assist is a feature that allows users to silence notifications and other distracting pop-ups. Could it be possible that Google Chrome’s Focus Mode works with Windows 10 to stop websites from screaming out for your attention or to minimize announcements that might come from sites such as Gmail or Twitter?

As Focus Mode is currently non-functional, Google Chrome users will need to wait a bit longer before learning more about the new incoming feature. We will most likely see Focus Mode in a test build such as Chrome Canary before it makes its way to the mainstream. Stay tuned to Digital Trends as we update you with more information as it becomes available.

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Michael Archambault

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Michael Archambault is a technology writer and digital marketer located in Long Island, New York. For the past decade…

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