A couple of weeks ago, a CL on Chromium Gerrit suggested implementing Windows 11's Mica and Mica Alt in Google Chrome, making the browser's tab strip more visually appealing. It did not take long for Google to bring the suggested change to fruition—the latest Chrome Canary builds already feature the fan-favorite eye candy by default.
Google's Mica implementation in Chrome Canary looks similar to what Edge once had. The browser features a translucent material with colors derived from your wallpaper, creating a subtle, aesthetically pleasing effect with a low impact on hardware resources. And since Mica and Mica Alt depend on your wallpaper, the result is always unique and personalized. Here are just three examples of how the material reacts to different backgrounds:
The proposed change on Chromium Gerrit suggested implementing two variants of the Mica material (regular and alternative), but Google decided to go for Mica Alt. It is more vibrant and colorful compared to the slightly muted standard Mica.
Testing Mica Alt in Chrome Canary does not require enabling flags or commands. Head to the official Chrome Canary website, download and install the browser, and the material will be enabled "out of the box." Just keep in mind that using Chrome Canary as your primary browser is not the best idea since it receives daily updates that often break things or introduce bugs.
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