Google Announces Material You Changes for Chrome and Gmail

Google is going through a few Material You changes for Chrome and Gmail.

Google recently rolled out Chrome 94. Today, we learn that the Chrome 94 build brings some new Material You changes to the app. However, Chrome, as well as the Gmail Android app on Chrome OS, are going through a few Material You changes.

First, let’s take a look at the changes made in the Android version of Chrome. As reported by 9to5Google, Chrome now offers support for Dynamic Colors. This means that the UI elements inside the app now adapt to the dominant colors of the wallpaper on the phones. For example, if the wallpaper has a large sunflower, the app will create a color palette with a paster version of yellow and use that as the app’s background instead of the traditional white or black.

The update also changes the way a few icons or buttons look in the Chrome app. For example, the tab switcher UI in Chrome has undergone a minor change. Tabs are now displayed with rounded corners and have a slightly larger size. It also supports Dynamic Colors at the top of the tab, which lists which website is open. On older devices that don’t support Dynamic Colors, the tab background is gray. The selected tab has a blue background. In Android 12, the background of the tabs page takes the dominant color of the previously opened web page.

The Gmail app on Chrome OS has also been updated with a new app icon and Material You changes. All these innovations mentioned are available in Version 2021.09.10.3973477674 as reported by 9to5Google.

But surprisingly, the Google Meet and Chat integration we’ve seen in the Gmail app on both Android and iOS isn’t included in this version for Chrome OS. There is also no option to change the dark mode within the application. This release includes only minor design changes and redesigned Material You changes.