Google is testing new customization features for Chrome on Android, allowing users to set a color theme for the browser independently of the device’s system-wide color scheme, marking a shift towards more distinct browser personalization.
This feature is currently being evaluated in Chrome Canary, the alpha version of the browser where new functionalities are trialed before a potential release to beta or stable channels. The discovery was brought to public attention by Reddit user Leopeva64-2, who demonstrated the new theming option in a video posted to the social media platform X. The demonstration shows a new “Chrome Colors” option appearing within the browser’s settings.
To access the feature in Chrome Canary, users can tap a “Customize” button located in the top-left corner of the screen. This action opens an “Appearance” section, which has been in testing for several months but has not been rolled out to all Canary users. Within this section, selecting the “Chrome Colors” option reveals a menu for choosing a browser-specific color palette. The current test version offers two color choices, though more palettes are expected to be added in future updates. The final method for setting these colors in the stable and beta versions of Chrome has not been confirmed.
Alongside the independent color theming, Google is also testing other visual customization tools in Chrome Canary. One feature allows users to assign different colors to different tab groups, a function that mirrors an existing capability in the desktop version of Chrome. Another test involves an option to set a custom image as the browser’s background.
These experiments are part of a broader visual overhaul for the Chrome for Android application. The testing of these new customization options follows the recent addition of Material 3 Expressive elements to the stable version of the browser, indicating a continued focus on updating the application’s user interface and design.
