Old Manifest V2 Chrome Extensions Will Be Disabled In 2024

An anonymous reader quotes a report from 9to5Google: With Manifest V3, Google wants to make extensions safer by prioritizing privacy, but was initially criticized for the impact to ad blockers. The Chrome team has since added new features in response and is ready to disable old Manifest V2 extensions in 2024. Google will begin automatically disabling Manifest V2 extensions in Chrome Dev, Canary, and Beta as early as June 2024 (Chrome 127+). Similarly, Chrome Web Store installs will no longer be possible. Developers are encouraged to update and migrate before then.

This will gradually roll out, with Google taking into account user feedback and data to 'make sure Chrome users understand the change and what actions they can take to find alternative, up-to-date extensions.' [Google said in a statement:] 'We expect it will take at least a month to observe and stabilize the changes in pre-stable before expanding the rollout to stable channel Chrome, where it will also gradually roll out over time. The exact timing may vary depending on the data collected, and during this time, we will keep you informed about our progress.' This was originally schedule to take place in 2023, but Google spent this year closing the functionality gap between Manifest V2 and V3.

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