Help post. Google notifications are grey squares.

[NiallOfTheNineHostages]

My wife's OnePlus Nord 2 running Android 11 oxygen OS v11.3 shows Google notifications as grey squares lately. Other apps are fine and we can't delete and reinstall. I'm not that tech savvy so I need a little help here! Thanks

 

[Dannydet]

Have you tried the obvious, restart the phone?

 

[NiallOfTheNineHostages]

Hey thanks for the suggestion. But it didn't work.

 

[svim]

Well since this just started recently hopefully it's just a one-off glitch that popped up -- perhaps some odd corruption to a random file that's part of the Chrome app's icon. If you look in her Nord's Settings >> Apps >> App management menu is the icon for the Chrome app look like it's OK or is that showing as a grey square too?
Try going into the Settings >> Notifications & Status bar menu and toggle some of those options in the sub-menus off and on (or on and off depending on how she prefers) to see if that that clears up the glitch. (Sometimes this will 'over-write' a background config file so if it is just a corrupt file in the cache or whatever it gets replaced.)
If that doesn't work, there's also the Settings >> Personalizations >> Icons menu. Try toggling through some of those options.

 

[NiallOfTheNineHostages]

Hey sorry for the delay. I had to try each suggestion and wait for a notification. Fantastic suggestions I might add. I do appreciate it. Unfortunately nothing worked. It looks like she will have to live with it. Thanks again. Hopefully it goes away itself!

 

[svim]

Bummer that nothing has helped clear up the issue, and hopefully it does go away with something like an update to the Chrome app. Her Nord 2 is about a year old isn't it? OnePlus should still be providing monthly updates (or bi-monthly) yes? Perhaps that might fix things.

Is this something that is really bothering her every time she sees it or just some minor irritation that's mostly just a curious observation? It's just an icon in the Notifications, like most of us, in due time eventually she'll just get used to that grey box being the Chrome app notification (...and probably be surprised when/if it does return to its original colored ball-shaped icon).

If those generic, grey icons in Notifications are something she's for whatever reason fixated on, this is for the most part of a tentative suggestion but switch her phone to use a different web browser app. Instead of Chrome, there are numerous alternative browser apps available. Chrome is a very solid performer and it's frequently updated to keep up on online security matters, but it fails as far as privacy. There a several Google services on our Android phones that are constantly data mining us, the Chrome browser app being one of them. Switching to third-party web browser app will reduce at least some of Google's oversight on her web browsing.
-- There are plenty of viable alternatives to choose from, I prefer Mozilla's Firefox Focus, but there's also very popular alternatives like Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and many others. If she's tied into the Chrome environment (i.e. her phone's Chrome browser app is synced with her Chrome browser on a computer or whatever) that's going to make things messier but if she just uses the Chrome app to do typical web browsing that makes it easier to switch.
-- Once you've picked an alternative browser app and installed it on her phone, go into the Settings >> Apps >> Default apps menu and select your new choice as the Default browser. Now go into the Settings >> Apps >> App management menu. Find and open the Chrome app entry and tap on Disable. (It's installed as a system-level app so you can't readily Uninstall it, but at least if you Disable the app it won't be active in the background using up system resources).

 

[NiallOfTheNineHostages]

Wow, what a well thought out composition! Thanks. She brought it to my attention as an annoyance. It's me that is probably annoyed more by it I'd imagine!
You are absolutely right about how she will probably get used to it and come to associate the grey box with chrome until that glorious day it changes back. At this point I didn't think you could come up with any more insightful ideas but from out the bag you pulled another! I was actually considering the brave browser for myself recently. She won't care much so I'll leave it as a suggestion to her.
I can't thank you enough kind stranger. The depth of knowledge and wisdom you possess is impressive. Your friends and family are no doubt lucky to have you. Thanks again.