Google is working on a homepage redesign for the Chrome app on Android. The new look features a larger search bar that resembles what you see on the latest version of the Google (Search) app. The most viewed pages section now sits in a separate container with rounded corners. The page background also gets painted in dynamic colors matching your theme, which is perhaps where Google derives the feature’s name — surface polish.
The surface polish feature has a couple of variations in the design. There’s a white or dynamic search bar color, a single-line carousel or two lines of page labels. Below is a screenshot of how Chrome looks on your Android phone before (left) and after (right) you enable the surface polish feature.
Unlike every other feature in the stable version, Google has hidden the surface polish feature in Chrome. But luckily, there’s a way you can enable it using the flag: chrome://flags/#enable-surface-polish. For those in the dark, open Google Chrome on your phone and copy and paste ‘chrome://flags/#enable-surface-polish’ without the quotes in the URL section. Once the page opens, you should see the flag right at the top. Select the drop down menu and choose “Enable” from the list.
This process should enable the surface polish feature on Chrome once the app (not the phone) restarts. To disable it, also follow the same steps, but this time select “Disable” in the drop down menu. But it’s worth noting that since Google has locked the feature behind a flag even in the stable version, it’s still work in progress. If you don’t like the low-contrast square search bar, you can download Google Chrome Dev or Canary to enjoy the most finished version.
Do make sure you are on the latest Google Chrome app v117.0.5938.153 to try out the new feature, at least this is the version that worked for me. But by the look of it, it won’t be long before it goes live for everyone.
