Under Android 5.0 Lollipop, every ‘instance’ of an app is shown separately under the Recents Apps list. For example, if you open a YouTube video from by clicking on a link from within the Twitter app, both apps will be displayed separately under the Recents App list in Lollipop.
In fact, even separate Google Chrome tabs are shown as separate instances of Chrome in the Recents App list. While this feature might seem useful for heavy Chrome for Android users, it might not be appreciated by everyone especially since in Lollipop the Recents App list remains intact even after a reboot. Additionally, this feature also removes the tab switcher from Chrome for Android as Google wants users to use the Recent App list to switch between tabs.
Thankfully, the company has also included an option to disable this feature. Disabling it will not only bring back the tab switcher in Chrome but also make it show up as a single app in the Recents App list.
Step 1: Open up Chrome and tab on the 3-dot overflow menu button.
Step 2: Select the Settings option followed by the ‘Merge tabs and apps’ option.
Step 3: Toggle the switch to Off and press OK on the dialog box that pops up.
Chrome will automatically restart then and will behave exactly like it used to behave in KitKat and older devices. However, do note that disabling this feature will also disable the colored status bar feature in Chrome, which was implemented by Google in the recently released Chrome 39 for Android.
