If you’re a big Android user that has a lot invested in Google’s ecosystem, then there’s a good chance that you also use Google Chrome as your main web browser. If that’s the case, then a Google Chrome update is a big deal, especially when something new comes along. For some time now, Google has been updating Chrome across all platforms a little quicker than most update their web browsers, and they do this for a number of reasons. Security and speed are chief among them, but they also gradually include pieces of new features bit-by-bit, and often don’t enable them by default until a number of versions down the line. Now, as the stable channel – the one that the majority of users will be on – reaches version 53, Material Design has now hit Windows.
Ever since Material Design was announced along with Android 5.0 Lollipop during Google I/O 2014, it’s been making its way to more and more parts of the Google ecosystem, and Chrome has been getting more and more Material for a long, long time now. It’s been available as a flag on most platforms for a while, but now it’s enabled by default, which means those updating from version 52 to versions 53 might notice some changes to the overall interface of Chrome. For the most part, this change to Material Design brings with it an edgier, more modern and “flatter” interface. The icons have been changed, and whenever they’re clicked they give off the same feedback as you’d expect from an Android device.
Changes like these might not seem a big deal to most of you, but they do make a subtle difference, and they appear to blend a little better with the more angular and “flat” design of Windows 10, too. Material Design has been in the works for years now, and while it’s still on its way to core properties like Gmail and other products, it’s definitely more visible throughout all of Google’s products and services than it was say, a year ago. For those on Windows – as well as other platforms – that are looking to update to version 53, they can either type chrome://about into the address bar, or head on over to settings and hit “about”.