Google Chrome is updated quite frequently with new features and fixes, which is expected given how widely it is used. Google typically tests new changes, even minor ones, in the Canary and Dev channels first before they are rolled out globally. Now, it seems like the company is exploring a new UI for active downloads, which would make it quite similar to the one present in Microsoft Edge.
Currently, when you download files via Google Chrome, they are displayed at the bottom of the window during the progress of the download and after its completion. However, this behavior might soon change if a Chromium commit is anything to go by.
As spotted by eagle-eyed Redditor u/Leopeva64-2, the Chromium Gerrit has a new patch about adding a download icon in the toolbar. Some of the notes in the patch and the comments in the code itself are as follows:
- Adding foundation for the download toolbar icon as part of the download UX redesign. This CL only tracks the state of downloads and produces a disappearing icon in the toolbar.
- //Whether to use download bubble instead of download shelf.
- //Download icon shown in the trusted area of the toolbar. Its lifetime is tied to that of its parent ToolbarView. The icon is made visible when downloads are in progress or when a download was initiated in the past 24 hours.
There are references made to a "RingProgressBar" variable as well.
It seems very likely that Google will be moving the Chrome download UI to the browser's toolbar instead of the bottom of the window. The download icon will also become a simple ring, where the filled ring will indicate the progress of the download. All in all, these changes would make the download UI very similar to that present in Edge, which already has a ring download icon in its toolbar. However, it remains to be seen if these changes will make their way to the Stable channel in their current state, if at all.
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