Google Chrome Tests Favicons Display in Side-Scroll Carousel & Dynamic Color For Android

Google is unveiling visual overhauls for its Chrome browser on Android devices. The updates aim to deliver a more minimalist and modern look, while enhancing functionality.

The most striking change appears on the New Tab page users see when opening a fresh browser tab.

Instead of the previous two rows displaying four favorites icons each, a carousel now spotlights four to five icons at once. To view the rest, users must manually scroll sideways.

Side-Scroll Carousel
Side-Scroll Carousel

Proponents argue the single-row layout appears more streamlined, especially for those who have cleared other homepage features like the Discover feed.

However, critics contend it seems like wasted space since users must now take an extra step to access icons previously visible upfront.

On the plus side, the carousel aligns with Google's shift towards pared-down, clutter-free interface designs followers often call “Material You.” Detractors counter that form overtakes function, necessitating extra user effort for aesthetics alone.

The carousel remains in early testing with a small number of users. Its reception could shape if Google greenlights a wider launch.

Though the company sometimes overrides negative feedback, user opinions likely carry some weight here.

Tablet users, meanwhile, are spotting a subtler but still visually impactful tweak. Where the status bar hovering above Chrome's tab strip was previously just black, it now exhibits dynamic theming colors.

The richer hue appears when dark mode is enabled; light mode shows no difference.

Old Chrome
Old Chrome
New Chrome
New Chrome

By pulling colors from the Android OS palette based on wallpaper shades, the colored status bar helps tablet interfaces feel more vivid. However, the change is primarily cosmetic rather than adding any direct utility.

As with the icon carousel, this freshening up of the status bar remains in early stages. Google is likely testing the waters before shifting the redesign into high gear across more devices.

In both cases, the overhauls spotlight Google's constant drive to refine Chrome's look, feel, and user experience.

While the carousel and dynamic colors may not seem like massive departures, the company hopes subtle but persistent design improvements will help Chrome stand out in an increasingly competitive browser market.

With rival browsers like Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox also upping their aesthetic games recently, Google faces rising pressure to regularly update Chrome and match user expectations.

Though not every change will please everyone, the updates show an effort to court crucial mobile audiences by crafting interfaces that feel current.

– Jim Miller