I feel like there is a real problem here, but that this request is the result of a series of workarounds for problems with the proposed solutions to the previous problems.

Problem: can't find desired tab
Solution: individualized icons for recognizability
Problem: no facility to customize the icon for a page
Solution: if title is customizable, use unicode there instead
Problem: title gets elided when tabs too narrow
Solution: hide favicon when the above solution is present

So we've jumped several stages from the original problem at the top to the solution request here.

I wonder if any/all of the following might not be better solutions for the original problem:
* Good title search + switch-to-existing-tab feature in omnibox
* Docs allowing users to customize the doc icon
* Chrome allowing users to override page icons, perhaps through an extension
* Solving the many-tabs problem (many sub-bullets here)

I ask this because there are problems with the proposed solution, but I'd rather avoid debating it if we can find a better set of solutions to the underlying need.

Archiving old bugs that haven't been actively assigned in over a year.

If you feel this issue should still be addressed, feel free to reopen it or to file a new issue. Thanks!