For some reason, my Chrome browser just went back in time

With the arrival of ChromeOS 119 in late 2023, the updated, Material You makeover for Chrome arrived for Chromebooks. Well, sort of. It was there for some, not there for others, and it’s been a bit hit-or-miss in the updates ever since. There has been a related set of flags (found by searching “Chrome Refresh 2023 in chrome://flags) available since that time to force the issue for those who hadn’t yet seen the updated Chrome look and feel arrive.

But for the past update or two, every Chromebook I’ve used has had the new, updated Material You look and feel. The biggest addition in that overhaul to me is the new, updated Side Panel and the convenient position and look of the recent tabs drop down menu. I also love the way all the new Material You colors move through the updated Chrome browser and I’ve simply become used to seeing it on a daily basis for a few months at this point.

Today, it just disappeared

And then this morning, with no warning and no experimentation on my part, my Chrome browser simply went back in time. All those updates, all that new Material You look and feel, all the upgraded menus and even the new AI wallpaper/theme feature all just up and vanished on me. Yes, I know I can manually turn it all back on with the flags I mentioned above, but why is this even a thing?

I’m truly unsure how this could happen. I even jumped over to Lacros (the new, detached Chrome browser on the way for Chromebooks) and I’m still seeing the older look and feel for Chrome there as well. I simply have no idea why this is the case, though.

I’m having a hard time making sense of the fact that a feature set that arrived nearly 5 months ago could just go away like this. It makes no sense and is frankly a little troubling. While it isn’t causing me any actual productivity issues, it feels strange to see it just revert like this with no warning or explanation. For now, I suppose I’ll just get it all back via Feature Flags, but this isn’t something that general users should have to deal with. And if you are having the same issue as me, rest assured (I hope) that it should go back to normal sooner than later.