Make phone calls directly from Google Chrome desktop browser (sort of)

Google Chrome 78 allows desktop users to send phone numbers from websites to their phones in the form of a push notification alert. This feature is more like a productivity booster that will help users call a person or company faster than ever before. Let's say you are surfing the internet on your computer and you realise that you urgently need to call the customer care support of your credit card vendor. You go to the website of your credit card vendor and find out the contact details. Now you have the customer care contact details open on your computer. But first, you'd grab your phone, then read the contact number from your computer screen and then finally dial the number on your phone, isn't it? Can you imagine the amount of time you'd put into such a simple task?

Google Chrome 78 makes this whole thing a lot simpler and faster. If you recall, previously, Google Chrome 77 update rolled out a new feature that allows users to share webpages across devices, including mobile phones. Essentially, Chrome is extending a similar feature to support phone numbers. All you need to do is simply highlight and right- the phone number mentioned online on the Chrome desktop browser. You should come across a new option to call from your device. But first up, make sure that you have the latest version of Google Chrome, which is Google Chrome 78, installed on your laptop or a computer.

READ | How to easily share web pages between your devices using Google Chrome

Google Chrome 78: How to send phone numbers from desktop to mobile phone

Step 1: First things first, make sure you have the latest Google Chrome 78 installed on your computer. Go to Chrome Settings > About Chrome to know more about the version of Google Chrome you have installed on your computer and see if the new update is available to you to install.

Step 2: Now, download the latest update and upgrade your Google Chrome desktop browser to Chrome 78.

Step 3: Go to any website that mentions a valid phone number. Select and right- the number to receive an option to 'Call from (your device name)'

Step 4: You will receive a confirmation notification on your phone. Tap the notification and proceed towards dialling that number.

What if I don't see an option to call from my device?

In case you don't see an option to call from your device, make sure that you have logged into both the Google desktop and mobile browser from a common Google account. Sign in to Chrome using your Google account. Go to menu > Settings. If you are already logged in, make sure Sync is on.