Google Chrome has made it easier to make sure that your browsing habits don't get you into trouble with a new biometric security feature.

The new Google Chrome feature is designed to ensure that people can't accidentally open Chrome on your phone and then see all of the Incognito browsing that you've been up to. That browsing could be harmless - a potential birthday present for a spouse, for example - or it could be something very embarrassing indeed. Whatever it is, there's a way to stop it at source.

Google confirmed the new feature in a blog post, saying that users "can require biometric authentication when you resume an Incognito session that was interrupted." That means that you'll be able to hand your phone to anyone and everyone, safe in the knowledge that they'll need to pass a biometric challenge to see what secrets those Incognito tabs hold.

Right now Google says that the feature is only available to those using iPhones and iPads, but it's "rolling out to Android users" right now. You might even have the new feature yourself by the time you read this.

This new Incognito security lockout is part of a larger suite of features that Google says makes people safer when using Chrome online. Other features include the built-in password manager, proactive security checks, and the ease with which browsing data can be wiped out on a whim.

While Google Chrome might still use Apple's WebKit under the hood it's still a viable alternative to Safari for people who live within the Google ecosystem. If you use Chrome on the desktop, using it on mobile makes all kinds of sense. If you're on Android, well, you should probably be using Chrome already.

Friends don't let friends use the web browser that phone makers put on their devices, after all.