Google has added the ability to switch between work and personal profiles in the Chrome app for iPhone.
It's a feature the company doesn't even offer on its Android app yet, although there is a catch for iPhone and not everyone will have access.
There's a chance if you are an iPhone user that you use Apple's native Safari app for browsing and haven't thought to move away – it's the default after all. And in its defence, it has come along way in the last few years with plenty of clever features added.
One of those – and a personal favourite of mine – is the ability to create profiles so you can differentiate between work and personal browsing, for example. I have seven in total, allowing me to switch between different browsing history and tabs quickly depending on what I am doing, keeping everything separate and organised.
But if you are someone who enjoys using Google's rival browser, Chrome, that is getting the ability to switch between personal and work profiles too. The feature, which was spotted by The Verge, will allow you to keep browsing data like tabs, history and passwords separate between your two accounts.
The Verge also said that IT admins would be able to access security reports and restrict browsing when you are in the work profile.
Switching between the profiles will be a simple affair too, requiring a tap on the account icon in the top right and choosing the profile you want to browse with from there.
But not everyone can get it
Unfortunately, there is a catch – and it's a fairly big one. This feature will only be available as part of Google's enterprise software package. So if you aren't an enterprise user, you won't have the ability to switch between two Google accounts in Chrome. You might in that case be better off sticking with Safari for now.
In addition, as far as I understand, only one work and one personal account are supported at present.
It's worth noting though, that Android users also don't currently have the option to switch to a work profile from within the Chrome app at all – and that applies whether you're an enterprise user or not.
