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Latest Version of Google Chrome for macOS Big Sur Adds Updated Icon and Other New Features

Google today updated its Chrome browser for macOS to version 87.0.4280.66, introducing an icon change that's meant to make the Chrome browser better fit in with the new macOS Big Sur design.

old chrome icon v big sur chrome
The Chrome browser's icon now features a white background behind it, which is the only change that Google has made. In the prior version of Chrome, it had no white background and was just the standard colorful Chrome logo.

Chrome's icon change is the most noticeable change that will be obvious to Chrome users in the new update, but there are a handful of other new features and bug fixes that are included.


The new Chrome update also improves performance by reducing CPU usage through tab throttling that better manages resources. Background tabs no longer wake up the CPU as often, preserving battery life, so Chrome uses up to 5x less CPU, and battery life is up to 1.25 hours better.

Google says that Chrome starts up to 25 percent faster and loads pages up to 7 percent faster.

There are also new Chrome actions that let tasks like deleting browser history be completed from the address bar (just type in something like delete my history), and there's a new feature for searching through the tabs that you have open. In the near future, Google plans to add Cards to chrome that will help you get back to recently visited and related content.

Tags: Chrome, Google

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Top Rated Comments

72 months ago
Can anyone just say, "ugly"?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
72 months ago
These uniform square icons are disgusting on Mac.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GadgetBen Avatar
72 months ago
I would prefer Google to sort the battery drain issues over an icon 🙄
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
72 months ago
The difference is night and d—a different night with a white background! 🤯
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drinkingtea Avatar
72 months ago
These new squiggle icons are so ugly. No personality anymore.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
72 months ago
Wow what an ugly icon. Why didn’t google just make the whole icon the square rather than putting a circle inside a square. Someone was lazy at Google. Not surprising developers are often lazy if they’re not making money on things like icon changes.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)