Chrome’s Reading Mode on Android Is Finally Getting a Proper Redesign

Chrome’s Reading mode on Android has existed for a long time, but most users barely noticed it. Not because it wasn’t useful, but because it was unreliable. Sometimes it showed up, sometimes it didn’t. And when it did, it felt oddly disconnected from the rest of the browser. Google now appears to be fixing that with a redesigned Reading mode.

Reading mode in Chrome is now easier to access on Android

The biggest improvement is how you actually turn it on. As 9to5Google helpfully explains, earlier versions relied on a small icon near the address bar that only appeared when Chrome decided a page qualified for a simplified view. With the new design, Reading mode has been moved into the three-dot menu, placed just below “Listen to this page.” It shows up consistently, regardless of what site you’re on, which removes the guesswork entirely.

Activating Reading mode no longer hijacks the entire screen. Instead of switching to a separate, full-screen view, Chrome now keeps the address bar visible while cleaning up the page content. This small change makes a big difference. You still know where you are on the web, and exiting Reading mode feels instant rather than disruptive.

The interface itself has also been refreshed. Controls now appear in a bottom sheet that follows Google’s Material 3 expressive design direction. Customization options remain familiar but are easier to access.

You can choose between sans-serif, serif, or monospace fonts, bump text size all the way up to 250 percent, and switch backgrounds between light, sepia, and dark. Once set, these preferences stick across pages, which makes Reading mode feel like a personal setup rather than a one-off tool.

At the moment, the redesigned Reading mode has been spotted on devices running Chrome 143 on the stable channel, though it does not seem to be enabled for everyone yet. In some cases, users may still need to turn on the chrome://flags/#reader-mode-improvements flag to try it out. What do you think about the update?