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After eight years, Google has finally decided to update the Chrome icon. This update may not be as dramatic, though. The new icon is designed to better “align with Google’s more modern brand expression.”
Google also allows for customization of icons for different operating systems, including iOS, Mac, and Windows. This is the third Google update to the Chrome icon since 2008. The last update was made in 2014.
At first glance, you may not notice the differences between the new icon and the old one at all. Google has removed the shadows between the red, yellow, and green in the outer ring in the new icon. The company has also refined the proportions and brightened the colors. This icon follows the flat design philosophy.
The new Chrome icon can be customized
One of the interesting things about the new icon is users can customize it on different operating systems. Designer Elvin says that Google “wants [s] the icons to feel recognizable in Chrome, but also well crafted for each OS.” As the designer said on Twitter, the icon supports “OS-specific customizations.”
“You might ask, “why bother with sth. so subtle?” We tailor Chrome’s experience to each OS, with features like Native Window Occlusion on Windows, day-one M1 support on macOS, Widgets on iOS/Android, and Material You on Android. We want our brand to convey the same level of care.” Designer Elvin noted.
The new icon will be available for all platforms in the next few months. In Windows, the new icon has a graded look, and in macOS, it tends to be 3D. At the end of March, Google will release Chrome (version) 100, and the release of the new icon coincides with that.
Last month, Google rolled out the Chrome 98 that brought a new font format that could improve the sharpness of the emojis. Moreover, some sources have reported that Google is working on a confirmation dialog for all pages. The new feature shows a warning dialog when users click on the close all tabs button. This could be a handy feature and prevent losing pages.