The removal of this feature makes chrome no different than other browsers. In fact, Firefox has an add-on that will enable users to close a tab from the URL bar, rather than having to tap on the tab then close it, so fewer taps are needed to do the same behavior. 

Firefox also has adblock, so without merged tabs, Firefox is now superior to chrome.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer#!msg/chrome/DN9GFt3yqPE/0ZlT_xSzBgAJ

This isn't just a few users, there is a pretty large spiderweb of users pouring out of the wood work outraged that this option was removed. I would typically fire back on my QA that this is a feature not a bug but you introduced a solid security hole by removing this feature which increases it's priority to blocker. 

If something has hijacked the screen, there is no longer a way to escape that screen. For example the top tab menu is blocked by a confirm/alert action and not accessible causing the user to be required to act on the hijacking action (see typical ad hijackers and what they do). You, Google, is the reason this browser is insecure. Please remediate with all due haste. 

Finally, what everyone else is upset about, this is just a poor UX choice and you have your average consumers dropping it not just one's that are easily offended. 

I would like to add my voice to this issue. Again, please notice the amount of pain, frustration and disbelief being voiced by the forum users:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer#!msg/chrome/DN9GFt3yqPE/0ZlT_xSzBgAJ

I suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

And for those that don't see how merged browser tabs empower us to consider web pages/apps to be first class citizens of our multi-tasking phones, they can simply stick with the default and never turn it on. As has been said before, they are probably the kind of user who doesn't understand the difference between multiple browser tabs/windows/instances anyway, so this feature was never meant for them. 

But for the rest of us... it changed our lives! Albeit briefly :-(

I loved the feature since it makes keeping the tabs clean so much easier. Thus increasing the browser performance, as there were no deprecated tabs in background.
But that is not the sole reason for me to add this comment. I want to emphasize that I do not demand this feature to be the default setting in chrome! But I do demand to bring the option back. So every user can switch it on or off just like he wants to have his Chrome experience. There cannot possibly be any good reason to take an option away. Chrome users are not sheep that have to be patronized!

Forcing people to stay on version 50 is also a security risk, please take this into account. For once, come off your high horse and listen to the community!

I am upset too. I do not see any point to remove this feature rather leaving it as an option! 
Upfront reasons : 
1. Multi tasking : It limits itself to take advantage of the Android N for multi-window feature! I can not multi-task on two tabs side by side!
2. Reachability : In big phones like Nexus 6p, I would prefer to go to recent tabs to switch chrome tab rather that reaching out to the top of the screen to find out open Tabs!
3. Don't be Apple : Clean design is absolutely necessary but not at the expense of Customization or User preference! This is the last thing we expect from Google! At least the feature should remain open as part of the chrome://flags in case it does not deserve a place in the immediate browser options! 

Hope Chrome Team gives it a second thought honoring the person who first brought this option in the first place!  :)

Bring back this feature.
I am currently back on Chrome 50 (downgraded) just to have merge apps and tabs back.
Your new HERB tab manager experiment doesn't have a flavor equal to merge apps and tabs in the flags.
Bring it back for all the reasons so many people are complaining about here:
https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/d/msgid/chrome/ffd5d034-52be-4e08-95fd-73b289ff2156%40googleproductforums.com
And here:
https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/d/msgid/chrome/1a54dc6f-bf40-49f3-a87f-e864fbea0da1%40googleproductforums.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer

Hmmm, maybe there will be an option to turn on Herbs Elderberry instead of default tabs? If so, that basically brings the feature back (plus the other new features).

I just gave Herbs Elderberry a try. It's not quite the same unfortunately.

It's not the same. I tried it as soon as I heard about it too.
It's frustrating how they added so many Herb flavours but not one of them
is the same as the lost merge apps and tabs loved feature.

Elderberry only makes a new instance of Chrome for external links opened
from within other apps. New tabs opened from Chrome live only within Chrome.

WTF Google?

I'm still on a rollbacked Chrome 50.

I bet 1000 bucks the Chrome developers have a fork with merge tabs still in

I've tested the new features for a while, and they still don't stack up to the original merged tabs, they're not as useful. The Chrome tabs themselves are flaky (animations are glitchy and the tabs sometimes completely disappear and never come back). The Android tabs are much better (not that it can't be done in the web, just that it's implemented properly in Android).

Maybe you can just make the original tabs one of the new options, and let people *really* decide.

There's quite a bit of disappointment about this on the web: https://www.google.com/search?num=50&q=chrome+merged+tabs+removed

I'm considering going back to Chrome 50 to get productivity back.

There's also this:
http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.suyashsrijan.xposedenablemergedtabs

Bump.

At least leave us some way of continuing with this really unique UI feature.
It really made the whole Android experience feel fluid and uncomplicated.

Please re-enable the switch for merged tabs&apps in the Chrome options permanently, 
and leave if off by default. No harm for regular users. Instead it would be a proof that
you, the Google Devs, really care at least the slightest bit about user experience.

Again, me and the people posting in the Help Forums every day, we only
demand bringing the feature back for users who explicitly want to activate it.
I'm in software biz also and I bet the code is still in there.

I will stay on v50 since browsing and multitasking without the merge just feels odd and
dozens of stacked browser tabs are just not tolerable for me.

In the forum: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/chrome/DN9GFt3yqPE/8ZdnvH1LEgAJ

A Google Rep mentioned "...we heard from many of you that you could not find the tabs you created. This was especially difficult on phones that do not have a dedicated Overview button."

So for some devices / users, the merged tab concept was apparently a hassle, which they had an option to opt out of, but now (because one checkbox in the settings confuses people) it's completely removed for everyone.

Instead, what if you put chrome tabs in BOTH places?

Have the tabs appear in the app overview list, as it was with merged tabs, and ALSO have the tabs in chrome's tab list. This way both sides of the fence are satisfied and we don't need that "pesky" option that google tries to avoid.

That's a really good idea. That would be the best way to see what people really like. Those people that like in-app tab switching will still have the outer app switching, and can truly weigh the options, rather than just reverting to the old way because they are accustomed to it. Additionally, after being able to try both at the same time, there can be an option to turn off merged tabs. The in-app tabs would just be there all the time.l, regardless if merged tabs is enabled.

What I mean is that with both features on at the same time by default, then someone who would otherwise have disabled merged tabs in order to have in-app tabs will be more likely not to bother disabling merged tabs because the in-app tabs are still usable, and that person would therefore be more likely to give merged tabs a chance every time they switch apps. And therefore, that person would be making a more informed choice if they decide to disable merged tabs.

The only reason merged tabs may not have been as widely used as you hoped, Google, is because people are sometimes not willing to try new things, not because the new feature is worse, but because they simply don't give it a chance. The better strategy would be to let users weigh both at the same time.

Besides, bit everyone is a "power user". I am willing to bet that "power users" (likely developers and any people who use their phones for work) most likely love merged tabs.

On the other hand, my mom and sister, who use their phones casually, wanted the old behavior because they just wanted to do what they were accustomed to, they don't keep up with new technology like the power users do.

Please rethink the removal of merged tabs, and please do us a favor to our productivity by bringing merged tabs back.

(Herbs doesn't cut it).

"I have feeling there's more at play here... Maybe the powers that be at Google just don't want the web to win, and feel perhaps it threatens the Google Play store economy?"
- trusktr@gmail.com

Well put, this is the only logical reason that I could see for removing this opt-in time-saver. Any official explanation from Google has been insulting at best.

There is an app on Play Store "Apps & Tabs Browser" which brings the "Merge Apps & Tabs" feature back to Android

"There is an app on Play Store "Apps & Tabs Browser" which brings the "Merge Apps & Tabs" feature back to Android"
- petr.nal...@gmail.com

Presuming you are the author of the app since this post is the same day as the app release and your email is very similar (your email is obfuscated for me here).

Good work, seems to do as advertised, and I'm sure you put a lot of hard work in... but...

Sorry to say, I personally wont be using it (yet) for a few reasons:
- I can't seem to find a way to enter anything into the address bar to manually go to specific sites
  - (nvm you either click the add tab button and un-check the new tab option, or have it checked and it adds an option in the menu, a little clunky ux-wise).
- There is no support for chrome's bookmarks (I see a star to add a bookmark, but don't know how to access existing bookmarks)
- There is no support for recent tabs or browser history.

Besides those criticisms, the app is very clean and does what it promises without any bs. 

That being said, it is frustrating that someone has to go to the lengths to reinvent the wheel to get chrome to do a thing that it used to do with a simple check-box to turn it on/off.

#21: sorry for the limitations, you are right it i snot 100% replacement for "Merge apps and tabs" but still think this is a viable option for some users.

You are right about the bookmarks, for them you need to use Chrome directly, there does not seem a way in new Android versions to see your bookmarks even with a permission, but I did implement browsing history into "Apps & Tabs" so you get suggestions into the new tab box based on places you visited before, this is quite handy and I was able to build up my list of preferred sites very quickly to not miss Chrome bookmarks.

Unfortunately address bar cannot be made editable directly, but you can use the new tab button.. 

Big thanks for all the feedback on my app!

Closing this issue as there is no activity on this issue.

trusktr@ -- Please feel free to file a new issue if the issue is observed on the latest Chrome #64.0.3282.137.

Thanks in advance!

The observation that there is no activity means that it was not fixed, not that it should not be fixed.

New Issue: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=811258