Every now and then, software applications will refresh their icons as a way of keeping them up to date with current trends and design languages. Google Chrome is the latest to get a new icon, as a designer at the company has revealed how the icon will be changing across various supported platforms.
The last time Google changed the icon for Chrome is back in 2014, when they flattened the icon and brought it in-line with its Material Design language. This time around, the icon has been simplified with no shadows, brighter colours that have a subtle gradient, and also has updated proportions.
These icons will not be the same across all platforms, however. Google will be introducing platform-specific changes to the icon. For example, on Windows 11, it will have an obviously gradated look, while on ChromeOS, the colours will be brighter without gradients. Similarly, macOS icons and iOS will look different too.
These new icons have been rolled out today to the Canary version of Google Chrome. It will soon come to the stable version on different platforms, and over the next few months, it will be reflected inside the app too.