Chrome for Android rolls out always-available Reading mode redesign [U]
Source: 9to5Google
Update (2/28/26)
As of this month, Chrome for Android’s Reading mode redesign is widely rolling out. It appears in Chrome 145, though part of the change is delivered server‑side.
Since December, Google has made the button to switch back to the live webpage more prominent by placing it in a rounded square. Additionally, Lexend is a new font option for the reader.
When you tap Show reading mode and the page isn’t available in reading mode, a pop‑up appears stating that “reading mode is unavailable”.
Old
On some devices the “Show Reading mode” option appears in the three‑dot menu underneath Listen to this page. This button consistently appears in the overflow menu regardless of the page you’re visiting. It removes the old address‑bar shortcut, but a button remains to quickly exit Reading mode.
Tapping the option opens a new view that retains the Omnibox instead of taking over the entire screen as before. A “Reading mode” sheet at the bottom—built with Material 3 Expressive containers and shape‑morphing—lets you set customizations similar to the previous version:
- Fonts: Sans serif, Serif, Mono (now also Lexend)
- Text size: Up to 250 %
- Background color: Light, Sepia, or Dark
Your Reading mode preferences are preserved across pages, and manual activation remains a key feature of this update.
New
The redesign is visible on Android devices running Chrome 143 in the stable channel, though it has not yet been rolled out to all users. Several flags can be enabled to test the new experience before the full launch:
chrome://flags/#reader-mode-improvements