Google Chrome could be making some big changes to your favorite extensions

Following the launch of Manifest V3 earlier this year, Google has now laid out a timeline for when Google Chrome extensions using the older version of its extension platform will no longer be supported.

First announced back in October of 2018, Manifest V3 is a set of changes to the Chromium open-source browser engine and the WebExtensions API that updates the way in which browser extensions work with Chrome, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Edge and other Chromium-based browsers.

The evolution of Google's extension platform was designed to take the changing web landscape and the future of browser extensions into consideration. Not only is Manifest V3 more secure that its predecessor, it also provides improved performance and is more privacy-preserving.

Over the past few months, Google has been listening to feedback from its developer community and as a result, the search giant has introduced additional mechanisms to the new Scripting API while also expanding the Declarative Net Request API with support for multiple static rulesets, filtering based on tab ID and session-scoped rules.

Phasing out Manifest V2

After the release of Manifest v3 with the launch of Chrome 88 earlier this year, Google has now informed developers of key dates to keep in mind regarding the phase-out of Manifest V2 in a new blog post.

From January 17 of next year, new Manifest V2 extensions will no longer be accepted by the Chrome Web Store. However, developers will still be able to push updates to existing Manifest V2 extensions after this date. In January of 2023 though, Google Chrome will no longer run Manifest V2 extensions and developers won't be able to push any further updates to existing Manifest V2 extensions.

Going forward, Google plans to launch support for dynamically configurable content scripts and an in-memory storage option for Manifest V3 among other new capabilities.

These changes will benefit Chrome users that have added extensions to their browser as extensions designed to leverage Manifest V3 will be more secure and perform better while providing additional privacy protection.

How It works

Search Crack for

Latest IT News

Mar 18
Reportedly seeing a limited release, this tool can help you find the name of the song that's on the tip of your tongue.
Mar 18
A Bloomberg report says Apple might license Google's Gemini AI, but I don't believe it.
Mar 18
Say goodbye to custom-built Mac devices – Apple is finally putting an end to the ‘Hackintosh’ era.
Mar 18
Spotify fans on Windows 11 aren’t happy with the app’s new listening parties
Mar 18
Schedule your posts in moments across a huge number of platforms
Mar 18
We've been waiting a long time for Samsung's headset, but we should see it in the next few months.
Mar 18
Windows 11 users who dislike Copilot, brace yourselves: the AI looks set to move into another corner of the interface.

Latest cracks