Google announced in a blog post on Tuesday that Google is preparing to replace the Chrome browser lock icon with a new icon in the address bar. The lock will be replaced this fall by a “neutral indicator” designed to prompt users to check a website’s security information. Users will see the new icon in September with the launch of Chrome 117.
Back in the 2010s, the padlock symbol indicated better protection associated with, and then slowly adopted, HTTPS sites than regular HTTP sites. The clickable icon provides information about the website’s permission settings, cookies, and whether the site has a secure connection. Google said that HTTPS is now popular, even for malicious sites, so you shouldn’t misread the code as indicating that the site is actually trustworthy.
The Chrome lock icon will be based on this melody image.
To replace it, the team behind Chrome is working on a version of the set code (pictured right) that encourages people to click and check vital privacy and security information. Google says the user-friendly image is better because it doesn’t say “trustworthy” and because it’s “more clearly clickable” and “commonly associated with other settings or controls”.
Desktop and Android users will see the replacement icon roll out at the same time this fall, but the lock will be removed entirely from iOS because it can’t be clicked. Chrome will continue to alert you about insecure connections.
Read on to learn more about how you can optimize your browser settings to improve security and how Safe Browsing mode actually works.