Google is also preparing a toggle for Chrome on desktop
Google Chrome is one of the best web browsers on Android and over the last few months as the developers behind it try to keep the browser’s interface up to date and in sync with Google’s Material Design guidelines. It has become a hotbed of change. The address bar is an important component of Chrome and other browsers, and on Android it gets color injection. The desktop version has also made changes, with a small tweak to the toggle in Chrome.
In September 2022, Google began material design changes to Omnibox, Chrome’s address bar and search box. Another development took place in December as he A/B tested Chrome 108 stable and Chrome 109 beta, with the company testing the redesign. This makes his UI in the browser more similar to the Google search experience, ditching the pill-shaped search field and card-based design for search and autocomplete suggestions. As reported by 9to5Google, this redesign is now moving to the stable channel of Chrome 109.
From left to right: Pixel Launcher search; Chrome 108 Beta Omnibox; Chrome 109 Stable Omnibox, effect of toggle Chrome flag
However, there has been one significant change since we saw this feature in beta. His Omnibox background in the shape of a pill is back. Most first-party Google app search boxes feature a pill-shaped search field, so why is Chrome 109 different?
Omnibox, search suggestions, and their backgrounds dynamically borrow colors from your active wallpaper. This is very similar to the Pixel Launcher search that is having issues with the latest Android 13 QPR beta builds. This change will allow more people who don’t have Pixel phones with Pixel Launcher search to experience Material You and dynamic themes in Chrome. This change is a server-side update for Chrome 109 users on the stable channel, but can also be enabled by enabling the following flag:
chrome://flags/#omnibox-modernize-visual-update
Meanwhile, changes have also been made to Chrome’s desktop client. Chrome detective and Android Police lead Leopeva64 recently discovered that Google is experimenting with a new toggle design. With this design, color is not the only indicator of on/off status. The new design shows a checkmark on the toggle when the switch is turned on, clearing up any remaining confusion.
Redditor also recently discovered that Google is working on a single toggle switch to disable all Chrome extensions on desktop. A toggle check mark is a great way to keep track of when a toggle is on, especially if you don’t use the option often or have a visual impairment that prevents you from seeing colors completely.