Google Chrome starts rolling out Material You redesign; find out what’s new

In the upcoming redesign, Chrome is set to embrace the Material You theme, originally introduced by Google in Android. This entails the incorporation of more rounded corners, updated icons, and the elimination of the lock icon from the address bar. This redesign signifies the first overhaul for the browser in five years, with its last transformation occurring in 2018 during the transition to the Google Material Theme.

Google said in its blog post, “In the coming weeks, Chrome will get a new look on desktop. Based on our Material You design language, we’ve refreshed Chrome’s icons with a focus on legibility and created new color palettes that better complement your tabs and toolbar. These new themes and distinct colors can help you distinguish between profiles, like your work and personal accounts, at a glance. We’ve also better integrated with operating systems so your Chrome preferences can easily adapt to OS-level settings, like dark and light modes.” 

While the recent redesign of Google Chrome maintains the familiar overall layout and broader appearance, the user experience will not give the impression of an entirely new browser. Notably, a new drop-down menu on the far left displays all currently open tabs and recently closed ones. The appearance of horizontal tabs at the top of the window has also undergone a shift, presenting as small pills when hovered over, with a simple white line separating them.

Users will observe that icons and the general appearance feature more rounded corners, and there is an overall increase in the browser’s height. A significant alteration is the absence of a lock icon in the Omnibox (address bar and search field) to signify HTTPS security. 

Google has justified this change by stating that, given the widespread adoption of HTTPS across most websites today, the lock icon has become redundant. In its place, there is now a settings icon that provides access to menu options for connection security, page permissions, cookies, and site data.

A new addition includes icons with outlined styles and hollowed insides. The introduction of Material You color palettes offers a range of bright and pastel-like options. Quick access to bookmarks, reading lists, and history is facilitated through the side panel icon located next to your profile icon. The history is now categorized instead of being arranged chronologically, allowing for easier navigation through pages opened on a specific keyword. 

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Updated: 11 Nov 2023, 01:44 PM IST