Google Chrome Gets a New Look and New Features to Celebrate Its 15th Anniversary
Google Chrome is turning 15 this month, and to celebrate, the company is giving the browser a fresh new look and a few new features.
According to the Google Chrome Blog, the new features are:
New Material You Design:Â The new design is based on Google’s Material You design language, which allows users to customize the look and feel of the browser to match their preferences.
New color palettes: The new update includes a number of new color palettes that users can choose from. These palettes are based on the user’s wallpaper or other system settings so that the browser can blend in with the rest of the operating system.
New icons:Â The icons for the browser’s tabs and other elements have also been redesigned. The new icons are more modern and colorful, and they should make it easier for users to identify different tabs.
New search feature: Chrome is getting a new search feature that brings up additional information—like related searches and more information about a site’s source—in a side panel.
Expanded Safe Browsing: Chrome is upgrading Safe Browsing in Chrome. It will now check sites against Google’s list of known bad sites in real-time, compared to every 30 to 60 minutes previously.
Redesigned Chrome Web Store: Google is also redesigning its Chrome Web Store which offers browser extensions. The store is getting a fresh interface, new categories such as “AI-powered extensions” and more personalized recommendations.
Expanded Safety Check for extensions:Â Google has also expanded its Safety Check feature to Chrome extensions, which can now alert you if an extension you have is “recently unpublished, in violation of our policies, or potentially malicious.”
These new designs and features will start rolling out to Chrome users in the coming days.
Since 2008, we’ve worked to create a browser that's fast, safe and easy to use ✨
Fifteen years later, that goal remains the same — and to celebrate our birthday, we’re releasing some exciting updates and a fresh new look! Learn more: https://t.co/rKfruhDxwi pic.twitter.com/qRkqmk26zE
— Chrome (@googlechrome) September 7, 2023
Parisa Tabriz, Chrome’s vice president, said: “We’re excited to celebrate Chrome’s 15th birthday with these new features and updates. We’re committed to making Chrome the best browser for everyone, and these new features are a step in the right direction.”
As a long-time Chrome user, I’m excited to see the new features and updates that Google is rolling out. I’m especially glad to see that Google is continuing to improve Safe Browsing to keep users safe from malicious sites. This has been a big issue with the browser in the past, so it’s great to see that Google is taking it seriously.