Last October, we introduced a new identity model on iOS (Chrome 118) and are excited to bring it to Android devices and Desktop soon. This model aligns closely with how you already use other Google apps and services.When we first launched Chrome sync back in 2009, powered by the Google Account, our goal then, as it is today, was simple: help users access their bookmarks, passwords, tabs and more, across devices. At the time, this was best achieved by a sync model: synchronizing device data with your account and therefore requiring both sign-in and enabling sync.Over the years, the digital world has changed and user expectations have evolved significantly. Cloud services emerged in 2010, and over the past 15 years, the concept of having a digital identity became more prevalent, especially through smartphones and mobile apps. Today, users increasingly expect to just sign in to get access to their stuff and sign out to keep it safe. Given this evolution of technology and user norms, we’re

ChromeOS will soon be developed on large portions of the Android stack to bring Google AI, innovations, and features faster to users.Over the last 13 years, we’ve evolved ChromeOS to deliver a secure, fast, and feature-rich Chromebook experience for millions of students and teachers, families, gamers, and businesses all over the world. With our recent announcements around new features powered by Google AI and Gemini, Chromebooks now give us the opportunity to put powerful tools in the hands of more people to help with everyday tasks.To continue rolling out new Google AI features to users at a faster and even larger scale, we’ll be embracing portions of the Android stack, like the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks, as part of the foundation of ChromeOS. We already have a strong history of collaboration, with Android apps available on ChromeOS and the start of unifying our Bluetooth stacks as of ChromeOS 122.Bringing the Android-based tech stack into ChromeOS will allow us to a

Today’s The Fast and the Curious post explores how Chrome achieved the highest score on the new Speedometer 3.0, an upgraded browser benchmarking tool to optimize the performance of Web applications. Try out Chrome today! Speedometer 3.0 is a recently published benchmark for measuring browser performance that was created as an industry collaboration between companies like Google, Apple, Mozilla, Intel, and Microsoft. This benchmark helped us identify areas in which we could optimize Chrome to deliver a faster browser experience to all our users.Here’s a closer look at how we further optimized Chrome to achieve the highest score ever Speedometer 3, by carefully tracking its recent performance over time as the updated benchmark was being developed. Since the inception of Speedometer 3 in May 2022, we've driven a 72% increase in Chrome’s Speedometer score - translating into performance gains for our users: previously shared how we optimized innerHTML using specialized fast paths for parsi

On the Chrome team, we believe it’s not sufficient to be fast most of the time, we have to be fast all of the time. Today’s The Fast and the Curious post explores how we contributed to Core Web Vitals by surveying the field data of Chrome responding to user interactions across all websites, ultimately improving performance of the web. As billions of people turn to the web to get things done every day, the browser becomes more responsible for hosting a multitude of apps at once, resource contention becomes a challenge. The multi-process Chrome browser contends for multiple resources: CPU and memory of course, but also its own queues of work between its internal services (in this article, the network service).This is why we’ve been focused on identifying and fixing slow interactions from Chrome users’ field data, which is the authoritative source when it comes to real user experiences. We gather this field data by recording anonymized Perfetto traces on Chrome Canary, and report them usi

Update (10/10/2024): We’ve started disabling extensions still using Manifest V2 in Chrome stable. Read more details in the MV2 support timeline documentation. In November 2023, we shared a timeline for the phasing out of Manifest V2 extensions in Chrome. Based on the progress and feedback we’ve seen from the community, we’re now ready to roll out these changes as scheduled. We’ve always been clear that the goal of Manifest V3 is to protect existing functionality while improving the security, privacy, performance and trustworthiness of the extension ecosystem as a whole. We appreciate the collaboration and feedback from the community that has allowed us - and continues to allow us - to constantly improve the extensions platform. Addressing community feedback We understand migrations of this magnitude can be challenging, which is why we’ve listened to developer feedback and spent years refining Manifest V3 to support the innovation happening across the extensions community. This included

In the latest release of Chrome, we're introducing Minimized Custom Tabs, a feature that allows users to effortlessly transition between native app and web content. With a simple tap on the down button in the Chrome Custom Tabs toolbar, users can minimize a Custom Tab into a compact, floating picture-in-picture window. This seamless integration enables multi-tasking across surfaces, enhancing the in-app web browsing experience. By tapping on the floating window, users can easily maximize the tab, restoring it to its original size.Posted by Victor Gallet, Senior Product Manager

Google and many other organizations, such as NIST, IETF, and NSA, believe that migrating to post-quantum cryptography is important due to the large risk posed by a cryptographically-relevant quantum computer (CRQC). In August, we posted about how Chrome Security is working to protect users from the risk of future quantum computers by leveraging a new form of hybrid post-quantum cryptographic key exchange, Kyber (ML-KEM)1. We’re happy to announce that we have enabled the latest Kyber draft specification by default for TLS 1.3 and QUIC on all desktop Chrome platforms as of Chrome 124.2 This rollout revealed a number of previously-existing bugs in several TLS middlebox products. To assist with the deployment of fixes, Chrome is offering a temporary enterprise policy to opt-out.Launching opportunistic quantum-resistant key exchange is part of Google’s broader strategy to prioritize deploying post-quantum cryptography in systems today that are at risk if an adversary has access to a quantum

Used billions of times each day, the Chrome address bar (which we call the “omnibox”) is a powerful tool to make searching the web easier, whether you’re trying to quickly find your tabs or bookmarks, return to a web page you previously visited, or find information.With the latest release of Chrome (M124), we’re integrating machine learning models to power the Chrome omnibox on desktop, so that web page suggestions are more precise and relevant to you. In the future, these models will also help improve the relevance scoring of search suggestions. Here’s a closer look at some of the important insights that help our team build this integration and where we hope the new model takes us. How we got hereinflexible. A set of hand-built and hand-tuned formulas did the job well, but were difficult to improve or to adapt to new scenarios. As a result, the scoring system went largely untouched for a long time.For most of that time, an ML-trained scoring model was the obvious path forward. But it

Cookies – small files created by sites you visit – are fundamental to the modern web. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing information, so that sites can do things like keep you signed in and remember your site preferences. Due to their powerful utility, cookies are also a lucrative target for attackers.Many users across the web are victimized by cookie theft malware that gives attackers access to their web accounts. Operators of Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) frequently use social engineering to spread cookie theft malware. These operators even convince users to bypass multiple warnings in order to land the malware on their device. The malware then typically exfiltrates all authentication cookies from browsers on the device to remote servers, enabling the attackers to curate and sell the compromised accounts. Cookie theft like this happens after login, so it bypasses two-factor authentication and any other login-time reputation checks. It’s also difficult to mitigat

Today’s The Fast and the Curious post covers the release of Speedometer 3.0 an upgraded browser benchmarking tool to optimize the performance of Web applications. In collaboration with major web browser engines, Blink/V8, Gecko/SpiderMonkey, and WebKit/JavaScriptCore, we’re excited to release Speedometer 3.0. Benchmarks, like Speedometer, are tools that can help browser vendors find opportunities to improve performance. Ideally, they simulate functionality that users encounter on typical websites, to ensure browsers can optimize areas that are beneficial to users.Let’s dig into the new changes in Speedometer 3.0. Applying a multi-stakeholder governance model2014 by the WebKit team, browser vendors have successfully used Speedometer to optimize their engines and improve user experiences on the web. Speedometer 2.0, a result of a collaboration between Apple and Chrome, followed in 2018, and it included an updated set of workloads that were more representative of the modern web at that ti

Balancing security and usability is always top of mind for us as we strive to stay on top of the constantly evolving threat landscape while building products that are delightful to use. To that end, we'd like to announce a few recent changes to how Chrome works with Google Safe Browsing to keep you safe online while optimizing for smooth and uninterrupted web browsing.Asynchronous checksToday, Safe Browsing checks are on the blocking path of page loads in Chrome, meaning that users cannot see pages until checks are completed. While this works fine for local-first checks such as those made using Safe Browsing API v4, it can add latency for checks made directly with the Safe Browsing server. Starting in Chrome 122, we will begin to introduce an asynchronous mechanism which will allow sites to load even while real-time checks with Safe Browsing servers are in progress. We expect this to reduce page load time and improve user experience as real-time server-side checks will no longer block

We are thrilled to share that Chromium issue tracking has migrated! Access the Issue Tracker, and supporting documentation. Why was this doneIssue tracking moved from Monorail to the Chromium Issue Tracker (powered by the Google Issue Tracker) to provide a feature-rich and well-supported issue tracker for Chromium’s ecosystem. Chromium joins other open source projects (Git, Gerrit) on this tooling. What happens moving forward Existing Monorail issue links will redirect to the migrated issues in the new issue tracker. We will prioritize feedback to continue to improve the issue tracker experience.Help & FeedbackYou can reach out at any time to [email protected] with questions or concerns.

As we shared last year, Chromium is moving to a different issue tracker to provide a well-supported user experience for the long term. Migration is beginning today (February 2, 2024) at 5pm PST. We expect migration will be completed by the end of day (PST) February 4, 2024.What’s happeningWe will migrate all Chromium issues, including issue history and stars, from Monorail to a different tool: Chromium Issue Tracker, powered by the Google Issue Tracker. This tooling change will provide a feature-rich and well-supported issue tracker for Chromium’s ecosystem. Chromium will join other open source projects (Git, Gerrit) on this tooling. Existing transparency levels to bugs will be maintained. Post-Migration We will publish another post once the migration is complete. Once the migration completes, existing Monorail issue links will redirect to the migrated issues in the new issue tracker. We will prioritize feedback to continue to improve the issue tracker experience. Documentation on new

Whether you’re browsing the web on your PC at home or on the go with your phone, we designed Chrome to be simple to use and work great on all platforms. For example, tools like Chrome sync have made it possible for you to access your bookmarks and passwords when switching between all your devices. In the coming weeks we’re making changes to Chrome on iOS to help you get to your most important stuff right away. Instead of having to set up Chrome sync on your device, you can now simply sign in to Chrome to save new things in your Google Account and access what's already there. This may feel familiar to you, as it’s how many Google apps on iOS already work today. Once you’re signed in to Chrome, you’ll be able to save your important stuff to your account, including bookmarks, reading lists, passwords, payment info, addresses and settings. And, you can separately opt in to synchronizing your tabs and browsing history from Chrome on iOS to your Google Account, which can help you pick up bro

Today’s The Fast and the Curious post explores how Core Web Vitals saved Chrome users more than 10,000 Years of waiting for web pages to load in 2023 (across Chrome desktop and Android) by quantifying the experience of sites and identifying opportunities to make improvements.In 2020, we introduced Web Vitals - essential quality signals for webpages to ensure a better user experience. Since then, there has been a massive leap in web performance made possible by our work on Core Web Vitals (CWV) and its broader impact on the web. Today, over 40% of sites pass all of the CWV metrics, leading to pages that load and respond to interactions more quickly. Here’s a closer look at the journey to help improve the performance for sites and some specific work done in the browser and the ecosystem to enable this achievement. Chrome's Quest for SpeedThe very essence of the web lies in its ability to provide information and services efficiently and rapidly. This principle is at the heart of Google's

Update: Migration is on track for early February 2024 instead of January 2024.Chromium is moving to a different issue tracker to provide a well-supported user experience for the long term. The Google team is targeting January 2024 for migration—this post explains the details. What’s happeningWe will migrate all Chromium issues, including issue history and stars, from Monorail to a different tool: Chromium Issue Tracker, powered by the Google Issue Tracker. This tooling change will provide a feature-rich and well-supported issue tracker for Chromium’s ecosystem. Chromium will join other open source projects (Git, Gerrit) on this tooling. Existing transparency levels to bugs will be maintained. TimingWe are targeting January 2024 for Chromium’s migration, and will share milestones and timing updates throughout the coming months.Migration ReadinessIn due course, we will share additional resources, including a walkthrough of the new issue tracker, highlighting key features.Post-Migration W

TL;DR: Automated certificate issuance and management strengthens the underlying security assurances provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS) by increasing agility and resilience. This post describes the benefits of automation and upcoming changes to the Chrome Root Program policy that represent Chrome Security’s ongoing commitment to improving web security. IntroductionOne of the most common tools for enhancing user security on the Internet is “Transport Layer Security” (TLS), formerly known as “Secure Socket Layer” (SSL). At its most basic level, TLS is a security protocol that encrypts data such that only the intended recipient can read it. Encryption makes the Internet more secure, but only if consistently and reliably deployed. The adoption of modern practices, like automated TLS certificate issuance and management, helps achieve this goal. Background: TLS - The Foundation for Encrypted Communications on the InternetYou’re probably more familiar with TLS than you think, as it’s t

In celebration of Chrome’s 15th birthday, we’re thrilled to introduce the redesigned Chrome Web Store. With a user-centric focus, we’ve made it easier for you to search and find fun themes and helpful extensions to stay productive at home or at work. Let's go behind the scenes and learn more about this redesign from Chrome Product Manager Hafsah Ismail and UX Designer Crystal Wang.What influenced your decision to redesign the Chrome Web Store?Hafsah: Chrome and the Web have evolved in remarkable ways. We now have extensions that unlock uncharted levels of productivity for developers or harness the power of generative AI to reshape work as we know it. It only felt natural to evolve the store to continue to meet the dynamic needs of users and developers in our ecosystem. Extensions and themes lie at the heart of a personalized Chrome experience, so it was a natural progression to give the store a fresh, contemporary look to align with this transformation. Can you share more details about

For the past several years, more than 90% of Chrome users' navigations have been to HTTPS sites, across all major platforms. Thankfully, that means that most traffic is encrypted and authenticated, and thus safe from network attackers. However, a stubborn 5-10% of traffic has remained on HTTP, allowing attackers to eavesdrop on or change that data. Chrome shows a warning in the address bar when a connection to a site is not secure, but we believe this is insufficient: not only do many people not notice that warning, but by the time someone notices the warning, the damage may already have been done.We believe that the web should be secure by default. HTTPS-First Mode lets Chrome deliver on exactly that promise, by getting explicit permission from you before connecting to a site insecurely. Our goal is to eventually enable this mode for everyone by default. While the web isn't quite ready to universally enable HTTPS-First Mode today, we're announcing several important stepping stones tow

Teams across Google are working hard to prepare the web for the migration to quantum-resistant cryptography. Continuing with our strategy for handling this major transition, we are updating technical standards, testing and deploying new quantum-resistant algorithms, and working with the broader ecosystem to help ensure this effort is a success.As a step down this path, Chrome will begin supporting X25519Kyber768 for establishing symmetric secrets in TLS, starting in Chrome 116, and available behind a flag in Chrome 115. This hybrid mechanism combines the output of two cryptographic algorithms to create the session key used to encrypt the bulk of the TLS connection:X25519 – an elliptic curve algorithm widely used for key agreement in TLS todayKyber-768 – a quantum-resistant Key Encapsulation Method, and NIST’s PQC winner for general encryptionIn order to identify ecosystem incompatibilities with this change, we are rolling this out to Chrome and to Google servers, over both TCP and QUIC

Big performance wins can be found by taking a step back and tweaking what you already have. Today’s The Fast and the Curious post explores how we improved the scrolling experience of Chrome on Android, ultimately reducing slow scrolling jank by 2x. Read on to see how we discovered and evaluated the problem, and how that has helped us design a better browser experience going forward.When measuring the performance of a browser, one might typically think of page load speed or Web Vitals. On mobile where touch interactions are common we also prioritize your interaction with Chrome to ensure it is always smooth and responsive including on new form factors like foldables. A significant focus of late has been on reducing jank while you scroll.We recently improved the scrolling experience of Chrome on Android by 2x by filtering noise and reducing visual jumps in the content presented on screen. To get this result, we had to take a step back and figure out the problem of why Chrome on Android w

With the latest release of Chrome for desktop we are introducing a redesign of the Chrome downloads experience to make it easier for you to interact with your recent downloads. Let's go behind the scenes and learn more about this redesign from Chrome Senior Product Manager Jasika Bawa.What influenced your decision to redesign Chrome downloads?Downloads are a core part of day to day web browsing, from getting the perfect cat themed background for your PC to saving a copy of your tax return. Over the years, we have listened to your feedback about the legacy Chrome downloads experience. We learned that while there was a lot about it that worked well for you, like strong support for core download journeys and built-in protection from potentially harmful files, it had its problems too. For example, it – Occupied precious pixels at the bottom of the screen which squeezed the web content area, and was limited by screen width in how many files it could show at onceDidn't go away automatically,

Since the beginning of Chrome, benchmarks have been a key way by which we drive performance optimizations that benefit users. The most relevant web benchmarks today are Speedometer, MotionMark, and Jetstream. Over the last year Chrome has invested in optimizing against these specific benchmarks and has just achieved our highest scores across all three. These gains were achieved through a combination of large projects and small improvements. In today’s The Fast and the Curious post, we want to share just some of the ways we drove these improvements in Chrome. Announcing our brand new mid-tier compiler: Maglev We’re bringing a new mid-tier compiler to Chrome. Maglev is a just-in-time compiler that can quickly generate performant machine code for all relevant functions within the first one-hundredth of a second. It reduces overall CPU time to compile code while also saving battery life. Our measurements show Maglev has provided a 7.5 percent improvement on Jetstream and a 5 percent improv

Editor’s note: based on industry research (from Chrome and others), and the ubiquity of HTTPS, we will be replacing the lock icon in Chrome’s address bar with a new “tune” icon – both to emphasize that security should be the default state, and to make site settings more accessible. Read on to learn about this multi-year journey.Browsers have shown a lock icon when a site loads over HTTPS since the early versions of Netscape in the 1990s. For the last decade, Chrome participated in a major initiative to increase HTTPS adoption on the web, and to help make the web secure by default. As late as 2013, only 14% of the Alexa Top 1M sites supported HTTPS. Today, however, HTTPS has become the norm and over 95% of page loads in Chrome on Windows are over a secure channel using HTTPS. This is great news for the ecosystem; it also creates an opportunity to re-evaluate how we signal security protections in the browser. In particular, the lock icon.The lock icon is meant to indicate that the networ

From the beginning of Chrome, one of our 4 founding principles has been speed, and it remains a core principle that guides our work. Today’s The Fast and the Curious post shares how recent technical improvements to Chrome have helped us reach a new performance milestone on the Speedometer browser benchmark across platforms. Speed is a critical factor in determining your experience while browsing the Web. The faster the browser, the more enjoyable your browsing experience will be. With the latest release of Chrome, we went deep under the hood of Chrome’s engine to look for every opportunity to increase the speed and efficiency, from improved caching to better memory management.Improved HTML Parsing & optimizing specific features We discovered some targeted optimizations for the highly used JS `Object.prototype.toString` and `Array.prototype.join`functions. We also implemented targeted improvements in CSS’s InterpolableColor. `innerHTML` is a very common way of updating the DOM via JavaS