Physical web? What is that? And Google has put it in the Android update

Physical Web is a feature Chrome users have been awaiting for a while now, and its about to make its debut on Android. Last year, Chrome for iOS took an initial step in supporting the Physical Web, and the community has already begun exploring promising applications.

The Physical Web helps users discover URLs relevant to their surroundings with the means of Bluetooth beacons. Google announced that the Physical Web will surface for Chrome’s Android users starting version 49.

As Physical Web-enabled beacons are becoming more widespread, developers are experimenting with the platform in various ways.

Now, Physical Web developers can reach Chrome for Android users as well, starting with the Beta channel and rolling out more widely soon. When these users walk by a beacon for the first time, they’ll receive a notification allowing them to enable the Physical Web. On future encounters with beacons, users can quickly see a list of nearby URLs by tapping on a non-vibrating notification waiting for them.

Developers can make their web content discoverable on the Physical Web by configuring an Eddystone-supported beacon to broadcast a URL of their choice with the Eddystone-URL frame type. Now that the Physical Web is tightly integrated into Chrome for Android, a single deployment can deliver contextual information to Chrome users across multiple mobile platforms.