Google Chrome: Users disappointed with new interface trigger slingshot

Google did a major redesign to Chrome last September. The new interface, based on Material Design 2, seems to us more refined, but unanimous. Many users prefer to stay in the old UI and it was possible to revert to the previous UI for those who wanted to. However, the feature was removed in early December, causing a standoff between the Mountain View firm and angry users.

Last September, Google rolled out a brand new Chrome design to celebrate the web browser’s 10th anniversary. We discovered a new interface that is clearer and has more rounded edges with the added bonus of various improvements in terms of functionality. If you welcome this UI change, many other Internet users agree.

Chrome: It’s better for a Google engineer to switch browsers than obsess over the old interface

Designed to provide the best experience on mobile devices Google Chrome’s new interface seems to be a problem with computers for many Internet users. The main criticism concerns the arrangement of lighter hues and colors, which makes it difficult to distinguish the tabs, especially when several are open at the same time.

Google left the possibility to stay in the old interface by manipulating the flags, the sunken part of the browser that allows you to enable many hidden features. Since the Chrome 71 update at the beginning of December, the Mountain View company has simply removed this feature.

As reported by our colleagues at Zdnet, this seemingly harmless decision triggered a real backlash. For two or three weeks, Reddit forums and social networks have been flooded with complaints. Users regret not being able to go back to the old UI.

For those who want to preserve this freedom, there is still a final solution: Downgrade Google Chrome for example by reverting to version 70. reddit, a Google engineer has officially advised against this option to those willing to do so. For him, such a move poses a serious security issue, and he says it would be more enlightening to switch browsers than to be stuck with an old version of Google Chrome.