Google Chrome Canary model 139 for Android has begun testing Materials 3 Expressive design updates, a part of Google’s ongoing effort to modernize its apps and align them with Android’s newest visible language. This design method goals for a cleaner, extra customized, and visually distinctive interface, whereas additionally encouraging adoption by exterior builders.
Probably the most seen modifications seem within the tab administration space and the primary menu overlay. Within the tab view, buttons for particular person tabs and tab teams at the moment are positioned inside clearly outlined containers (“niches”), changing the earlier floating-style format. The new tab button has been redesigned with a framed model and added coloration, drawing extra consideration to it. Tab teams have additionally been visually enhanced: as an alternative of displaying the person’s chosen group coloration solely as a small dot subsequent to the group title, the chosen coloration now fills your complete group folder. This transformation supplies higher visible differentiation and makes it simpler for customers to handle a number of teams at a look.

Picture courtesy of TuttoAndroid
Within the primary menu overlay, a number of key buttons—reminiscent of ahead, favorites, downloads, web page info, and refresh—at the moment are positioned inside rounded bins for higher visibility. When one in every of these buttons is chosen, the field modifications from a totally rounded form to a sq. type with rounded corners, including delicate visible suggestions. For instance, that is seen when highlighting the favorites icon.
Regardless of these updates, the remainder of the principle menu retains its acquainted format, order, and part divisions, guaranteeing that customers don’t must relearn navigation patterns.

Picture courtesy of TuttoAndroid
Presently, these Materials 3 Expressive options are experimental and solely accessible within the Chrome Canary model. Customers should manually allow them by way of the experimental flags menu at `chrome://flags/`. Since Canary serves as a testing floor, it’s anticipated that when refined, these design enhancements will make their technique to the secure Chrome for Android launch within the close to future.
This transfer displays Google’s broader initiative to unify its visible id throughout all its Android apps, prioritizing expressive, useful, and user-friendly design decisions. By implementing deeper coloration integration, extra structured button placement, and interactive menu components, Chrome goals to ship a extra polished and immersive searching expertise with out disrupting established usability.
Filed in Android, Chrome and Materials Design.
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