Google Chrome for Android received a long-awaited feature. You can now customize your new tab

Google’s browser on computers has offered new tab customization for a good few years now, and Apple users got it this spring, but Android phone owners have so far stared at a monotonous white or black surface. That is finally changing: Google Chrome for Android is getting an “Appearance” option, thanks to which you can dress up your new tab as you like.

How to customize your new tab in Chrome?

On the new tab page, simply tap the three-dot menu and select “Customize new tab page” – a new “Appearance” item has been added to the bottom panel. This hides four ways to personalize the surface.

The first two options are straightforward. Chrome Default restores the phone’s default dynamic colors derived from the system wallpaper, while “Upload image” opens the system file picker, allowing you to place your own photo on the tab’s background – perhaps a picture of yourself with loved ones or a favorite vacation spot.

Google Chrome for Android received a long-awaited feature. You can now customize your new tab Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

The remaining two options rely on ready-made themes. Chrome Colors offers nine preset color combinations, while the so-called Theme Collection includes six thematic collections – Landscapes, Architecture, Earth, Patterns, Illustrations, and Gradients, each with several images. For both, you can also enable daily rotation, so the surface greets you a little differently each time. Furthermore, the selected theme will be reflected not only in the new tab but also in other parts of the interface, such as the open tab switcher.

This is not the first time Chrome on Android is catching up with features that have been available elsewhere for years. Similarly, this spring we wrote about the arrival of vertical tabs and reading mode, which browser fans had been waiting for just as long.

When will you get the new feature?

It’s good to be patient here. The feature is activated server-side, so it appears gradually, and it doesn’t really matter what version of the app you currently have – no hidden switch (flag) is needed to enable it. If the Appearance option hasn’t shown up for you after updating Chrome, according to 9to5Google, sometimes force-quitting the browser via app info and restarting it helps.

Google Chrome for Android received a long-awaited feature. You can now customize your new tab Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

Would you prefer to try your own photo or one of the ready-made wallpaper collections?

Sources: 9to5Google, Android Authority, own