After Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome could become the second browser to use Windows 11’s glossy Mica material. According to recent updates in the Chromium Gerrit, Google Chrome will incorporate Microsoft Edge’s Mica design to improve user experience on Windows 11.
An independent engineer has submitted a Modification List (CL) to enable the Mica effect in Chromium, stating: “Windows 11 22H2 Mica Title Bar sample code. This CL demonstrates minimal code changes to enable the Mica Alt title bar material in Chromium with using the new DWMWA_SYSTEMBACKDROP_TYPE DWM attribute from Windows 11 22H2.
In addition, it has been the first patch related to the implementation of this feature mergedallowing the custom tab search button to appear next to the system-drawn title bar when using the system-drawn title bar.
For those who don’t know, Mica is a dynamic and visually appealing material that adds depth and character to app window backgrounds.
Mica is used by almost all modern 1st party apps such as File Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Windows Settings, Clock, Outlook and more. Mica is designed to combine the user’s theme and desktop background.
According to Microsoft’s documentation, Windows 11’s Mica design element provides a clear visual hierarchy and helps you focus on the active window. For example, if you have multiple instances of File Explorer open, you can find out which one has the focus by looking at Mica.
The engineer is also looking into Mica Alt, a variant of Mica that emphasizes the background color of the user’s desktop. Mica Alt can be applied to the background of an app to establish a deeper visual hierarchy, especially when designing an app with a tabbed title bar.
Microsoft has confirmed that Mica Alt is compatible with apps that use the Windows App SDK 1.1 or later and run on Windows 11 version 22000 or later.
It’s unclear when or if these changes will be made to Chrome. However, the move could significantly change the look and user experience of the browser on Windows 11, taking inspiration from Microsoft Edge’s well-received design features.
