Yesterday, Google announced that starting from the release of Chrome 94 in the third quarter of this year, the life cycle of the Chrome browser will be shortened from 6 weeks to 4 weeks. In addition, it will also launch a life cycle for enterprises and Chromium embedded versions. Additionally, it added a new Extended Stable option, with milestone updates every 8 weeks.
Also Read: Google Developing Technology To Stop Chrome From Consuming System Resources
Gizchina News of the week
In the past ten years, the stable version of the Chrome browser has a life cycle of 6 weeks. However, as Google has improved the Chrome testing and publishing procedures, and has launched a two-week security update since 2020, Google has decided to shorten Chrome’s life cycle. In other words, it will release new features at a faster speed.
As for companies or users who use Chrome on embedded devices, it may take longer to plan browser updates. So Google decided to increase the option of extending the stable version, which is updated every 8 weeks. However, the Chrome extended stable version still will get a two-week security update to fix important issues. But the update does not contain new features, nor does it have all the security fixes of the 4-week version.
In addition to changing the life cycle of the Chrome browser, Google also plans to release stable version options of different lengths for Chrome OS. But the details will be announced later.
Why Browser Updates Are Important
In this regard, Mozilla’s Firefox is one of the most frequently updated browser. And now, it seems that Google will act like Mozilla. Anyways, there are serious reasons why we should update the web browsers. First, it is related to the website compatibility. We mean that new website technologies are often supported by new browsers only. Second, it’s related to the security risks. As you understand, new browsers are more secure. Third, new browsers are more responsive and provide better performance.
