Chrome OS prepares long-awaited changes to notifications

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Chrome OS Logo on a Dell Chromebook
Chrome OS Logo on a Dell Chromebook (Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

  • New code hints at a revamp of Chrome OS notifications.
  • It's not clear how the notifications will look, but the code hints at new notification grouping.
  • Google may choose to bring notifications closer to those found on Android 12.

New developer code has been spotted that hints at a new UI for notifications on Chrome OS. The code was spotted by Android Police on the Chromium Gerrit developer tool and will reportedly feature a new UI.

Chrome Os Notifications Flag

Source: Android Police (Image credit: Source: Android Police)

While there's no indication of what this new UI will look like, Android Police has found evidence that it will include notification grouping. The lack of a more intelligent notification system has been a major gripe for many users on the best Chromebooks, and Google may finally be making an effort to address it. This means notifications will appear grouped when coming from the same app, giving them a less cluttered look.

The new notifications are not yet live in Chrome and are apparently early in development. There's a flag to enable the change, but it currently doesn't function.

While we may not know exactly how the UI will change, it wouldn't be surprising if Google took some inspiration from Material You in Android 12. The folks over at Chrome Unboxed have already created a mockup of what that might look like.

Chrome Os Material You Dark Settings Modified Scaled

Source: Chrome Unboxed (Image credit: Source: Chrome Unboxed)

As seen in the first Android 12 Beta, notifications have gotten a bit of a revamp on smartphones like the Google Pixel 5. They're visually much cleaner and feature a more prominent toggle for notification groups so that users can sift through them on a per-app basis.

It may be some time before a better notification system reaches Chrome OS, but at least there is some indication that a fix is on the way. Google is already bringing some improvements to Chrome OS notifications thanks to the latest update.

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Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee
Managing Editor

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.