Google has begun testing new customization features for its Chrome browser on Android. The test, conducted within the Chrome Canary application, evaluates an option for users to apply a color theme to the browser that is separate from the device’s system-wide settings.
Since the introduction of Material You several years ago, the Chrome browser has been designed to adapt its interface to match the system-wide color palette. The new functionality being evaluated would allow users to apply a distinct color scheme specifically to the Chrome browser, effectively overriding the device’s default theme. This experimental feature is currently confined to Chrome Canary, the alpha development branch where new functionalities are introduced and tested before they are considered for beta or stable public releases.
The feature was documented by Reddit user Leopeva64-2, who provided a demonstration video on the social media platform X. According to the shared media, a “Customize” button located in the top-left corner of the browser screen provides access to an “Appearance” section. This “Appearance” option has been undergoing testing within Canary for several months, although its availability has been limited and not accessible to all users of the alpha browser version.
Within this customization menu, a new option labeled “Chrome Colors” is now available. Selecting this option opens a subsequent menu where a user can choose a color palette to be applied exclusively within the browser. At this stage of testing, the menu offers only two color options. It is expected that more choices will be added in future updates to Canary. The final implementation method for setting these colors in the stable and beta channels of the browser remains unconfirmed.
In addition to the browser-specific color themes, Google is testing other visual customizations concurrently within the Canary build. One such feature is the ability to assign different colors to different tab groups. This functionality would mirror an existing organizational feature available on the desktop version of Chrome. Another function being tested is the option for users to apply a custom image as a background on the browser’s new tab page.
These experimental changes are part of a wider, app-wide visual overhaul for Chrome on the Android platform. The testing initiative follows the recent integration of Material 3 Expressive elements into the stable version of the browser, which introduced updated visual components and design language to the public release of the application.
