Chrome for Android tests top banner to replace download, alerts snackbar

Abner Li | Nov 11 2021 - 5:33 pm PT

While Chrome has been modernized over the years — most recently for Material You, many UI components are quite old. Chrome for Android is now testing a replacement to the snackbar that uses top banner notifications.

When downloading a file or image, Chrome for Android has historically made use of a snackbar that includes the file name, open, and closes buttons. The Google browser is now testing a slim banner that appears at the top of your screen.

It’s taller and allows for more information to be displayed. In the case of a download notification, you get file size and domain, while “Open” is at the right. The improved spacing is accompanied by the ability to swipe left/right to remove, a familiar convention.

This switch does break muscle memory, while it’s of course harder to reach things at the top of the screen. The shape is an overall modernization and improvement, but it would probably be better at the bottom.

The Chrome banner is also leveraged for pop-up warnings, preventative measures, and other notifications. It’s still in testing and we’re only seeing on one device (Pixel 6 Pro, Android 12) running Chrome 95. We’ve yet to spot the flag that enables this capability.