Android’s share sheet has long beena point of contention. The idea behind it is ingenious: it allows you to share media, links, files, and more data across apps on your phone with only a few taps. However, it has become increasingly harder to use over the years, with many apps offering their own internal share sheets with extra in-app actions. The fact that direct share targets often don’t show people you contact often doesn’t help the system share sheet’s case, either. WhileAndroid 14may not fix the latter problem just yet, it aims to help developers get rid of custom share sheets by giving them the option to add custom app actions, and we’ve got our first look at a Google app doing just this: Chrome Beta.
When usingChrome Beta version 113on Android 14, some users have noticed that the custom share sheet doesn’t show up anymore. Instead, the browser pulls up the regular system share sheet, but with its app actions visible at the top. That means you still have access to the familiar additional options that Chrome usually gives you, likeCopy, Copy link, Send to your devices, QR code,andPrint. The latter option is hidden, though — you need to scroll to the left to reveal it, but the interface doesn’t suggest that this is even an option.
The share sheet changes depending on which kind of data you’re sharing. When you share an image rather than a link, you get the option to include or omit the link and an edit button, much like it is the case with the custom share sheet.
First two: Chrome’s custom share sheet. Last two: Chrome’s app actions in the system share sheet.
If the new sharing experience doesn’t show up for you just yet in Chrome Beta on Android 14 Developer Preview 2, you may need to enable thechrome://flags/#share-sheet-migration-androidflag. This turns off the custom share sheet on all Android versions, but only on Android 14 will this enable the options in the system share sheet.
The new app actions within the system share sheet were previously spottedby Android expert Mishaal Rahman writing for Esper. He explains that apps can now specify extra app actions when they create system share sheet intents, which is part of a new API introduced in Android 14. He was able to show the feature in action with Tasker, adding a number of app actions to the system share sheet. According to the documentation, it’s possible to add up to seven options.
Meanwhile, Android 14 doesn’t seem to change much about how direct share targets are selected and which contacts are more likely to be included. However, Android 14 is making the system share sheet a standalone app, which means that it can be updated without a full system update. This will make it possible to push potential changes to the system to phones much faster, rather than having to wait for full system updates for tweaks in the future. Mishaal Rahman speculates that it’s even possible that Google could force a standardized design across all Android phones, as system share sheets can vary widely between different manufacturers, with some not even including direct share targets.
If you want to give this new Chrome share sheet a try yourself, be sure toinstall the Android 14 Developer Previewon your Pixel phone and get the latest Chrome Beta release.
