Tech major Google is set to introduce an upcoming design to encompass “a fresh look and new features,” a plan the company revealed when it celebrated its 15th anniversary recently.
In the redesign, Chrome is set to embrace the Material You theme, originally introduced by Google in Android. Google said it has incorporated more rounded corners, updated icons and eliminated the lock icon from the address bar. The action underlines Chrome’s refreshed look with a focus on legibility and new colour palettes that better complement users’ tabs and toolbar.
The redesign is meant to signify the first overhaul for the browser in five years, with its last transformation occurring in 2018 during the transition to the Google Material Theme.
The new themes and distinct colours can help users to distinguish between profiles, like their work and personal accounts, at a glance. The company has also integrated with operating systems so that a user’s Chrome preferences can easily adapt to their OS-level settings, like dark and light modes.
Even if the recent redesign of Google Chrome maintains the familiar overall layout and broader appearance, the user will not experience an entirely new browser.
Additionally, a new drop-down menu on the far left will now display all currently open tabs and recently closed ones. The appearance of horizontal tabs at the top of the window had also undergone a shift, presented as small pills when hovered over, with a simple white line separating them. The company has justified this change by citing the widespread adoption of HTTPS across most websites today. It believes that the lock icon has become redundant and so a setting icon is provided to access menu options for connection security, page permissions, cookies and site data.
