Chrome New Tab Page getting more Material You on Android [U]

Abner Li | Jan 1 2024 - 1:31 pm PT

Dynamic Color was previously Chrome for Android’s primary expression of Material You, but the New Tab Page (NTP) is now seeing a redesign.

Update 1/1/24: If these Material You tweaks for the Chrome (120) New Tab Page aren’t rolled out on your Android device, use this flag:

chrome://flags/#enable-surface-polish

Enabled — Uses a 4×2 grid of favicons
Enabled Arm 1: MVP — This carousel version shows 12 frequently visited pages

As a reminder, you can use this flag — chrome://flags/#query-tiles-ntp — to remove the previous search queries.

Original 11/13/23: Like Gmail and Google Chat, Chrome now has a much thicker search bar on the New Tab Page. It’s also similar to Google Search, with this change presumably making its way to all first-party Android apps. The hint text is now bolder, while the voice microphone and Lens icons look more distinct. The Google logo is also slightly smaller.

The 4×2 grid of frequently visited sites is now placed in a rounded card that helps to distinguish the section. There are similar tweaks to the Discover/Following switcher, while the feed itself appears unchanged.

It’s not a big functional change, but still a notable one given how often you interact with the NTP. Compared to other apps, the extra padding does not really impact content.

This Material You redesign of Chrome’s New Tab Page is still rolling out (with version 119) and we’re not seeing wide availability yet. It somewhat coincides with a full availability of the desktop Material You redesign last week.