Google Chrome‘s native PDF reader has already received several upgrades over the last year, and it looks like there’s a new one on the way.
For reference, in February this year, the native tool finally started offering annotation capabilities. This meant that users could quickly highlight text and add notes to a PDF right from their browser.
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Now, Google also seems to be testing a native AI summarization tool directly inside Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer.
The development was highlighted by the folks over at PiunikaWeb, indicating that the functionality is now heading to the Chrome Beta channel.
The feature is still hidden behind a flag, but we know exactly what it does (and how it does it).
Leaning on the Gemini side panel to do the lifting
Once enabled, a dedicated Summarize with Gemini button will show up within the top-aligned toolbar of the Chrome PDF viewer. When tapped, the tool automatically sends your summarization request to Chrome’s Gemini side panel.
The results show up within the side panel, and you can then pose follow-up questions if needed.
For what it’s worth, with the Gemini side panel available conveniently via Chrome, the addition of a dedicated ‘Summarize’ button for PDFs feels redundant. I can go into the Gemini side panel and have it summarize whatever is on the screen. In this case, it could be a PDF that can be summarized just as quickly without the need for the document to be downloaded and uploaded.
This makes the new in-testing implementation feel a little redundant for power users. At the same time, having two ways to achieve one result is completely fine. Having a dedicated summarize button right within the PDF reader’s toolbar is still a win for users that might not know about the Gemini side panel.
Ultimately, it is a solid gateway to introduce users to the side panel as well.
It’s worth noting that even in Chrome Beta, the new tool isn’t appearing for all. It isn’t clear if and when it will roll out to users in stable.
