Back in May of this year, Google rolled out Chrome 83 on Android, Linux, Windows, and Mac. Now, the company is rolling out the next release of its browser. The Chrome 84 release comes with a handful of user-facing changes as well as new capabilities for web developers. On July 14, the Chrome team announced the promotion of Chrome 84 to the stable channel for Linux, Mac, and Windows. The new version will be rolled out over the upcoming few weeks.
As the company delayed the rollout of SameSite cookie labeling due to the coronavirus pandemic. Google did not want to negatively impact groceries, banking, and other essential service websites, however, the feature will be gradually re-implemented in Chrome 84. This secure-by-default-handling of third-party cookies limits tracking as well as enhance privacy.
Most users complain about abusive notification prompts, and the new version will tackle this issue by blocking intrusive notifications as well as other permission requests from websites that repeatedly bug consumers about enabling. The feature is built on Chrome 80’s quieter notifications user interface, and the goal is to discourage people from granting websites the ability to display alerts.
The company has also been working to reduce CPU and power consumption over the last few release of Chrome. Now, Chrome 84 detects when a browser window is covered by another window to suspend working painting pixels. This ultimately preserve resources when a webpage is not being viewed. The feature will be available from some users in Chrome 84 release, however, a wider release is expected with version 85. The feature builds on Chrome freezing tabs except for playing audio or video that has been running in the background for more than 5 minutes.
If an extension changes the default search engine or New tab page, the browser will confirm the decision with users, and Chrome 84 also adds support for Web One-Time Password (OTP) Application Programming Interface (API). Chrome 84 will automatically enter the 2-factor authentication code sent over SMS to your default messages application. The browser will ask users to ‘Allow’ the code to be automatically filled. However, it is up to individual sites to support the capability.
Additionally, the company has enhanced Chrome’s implementation of the Web Animations API. Now, the browser can clean up and remove old animations which will save memory and enhance performance. Chrome 84 also features a Wake Lock API so that websites can request users’ screen stay active and the device does not lock. The new version also warns users about downloading an APK, EXE, or other executable over HTTP on the HTTPS webpage. PWAs can now create app shortcuts on desktop and smartphone, and users can access them with a right-click on Windows and macOS. The long-press menu on Android also displays common actions.
Read next: You Can Now Access Google Chrome’s Media Controls in the Floating Mode
As the company delayed the rollout of SameSite cookie labeling due to the coronavirus pandemic. Google did not want to negatively impact groceries, banking, and other essential service websites, however, the feature will be gradually re-implemented in Chrome 84. This secure-by-default-handling of third-party cookies limits tracking as well as enhance privacy.
Most users complain about abusive notification prompts, and the new version will tackle this issue by blocking intrusive notifications as well as other permission requests from websites that repeatedly bug consumers about enabling. The feature is built on Chrome 80’s quieter notifications user interface, and the goal is to discourage people from granting websites the ability to display alerts.
The company has also been working to reduce CPU and power consumption over the last few release of Chrome. Now, Chrome 84 detects when a browser window is covered by another window to suspend working painting pixels. This ultimately preserve resources when a webpage is not being viewed. The feature will be available from some users in Chrome 84 release, however, a wider release is expected with version 85. The feature builds on Chrome freezing tabs except for playing audio or video that has been running in the background for more than 5 minutes.
If an extension changes the default search engine or New tab page, the browser will confirm the decision with users, and Chrome 84 also adds support for Web One-Time Password (OTP) Application Programming Interface (API). Chrome 84 will automatically enter the 2-factor authentication code sent over SMS to your default messages application. The browser will ask users to ‘Allow’ the code to be automatically filled. However, it is up to individual sites to support the capability.
Additionally, the company has enhanced Chrome’s implementation of the Web Animations API. Now, the browser can clean up and remove old animations which will save memory and enhance performance. Chrome 84 also features a Wake Lock API so that websites can request users’ screen stay active and the device does not lock. The new version also warns users about downloading an APK, EXE, or other executable over HTTP on the HTTPS webpage. PWAs can now create app shortcuts on desktop and smartphone, and users can access them with a right-click on Windows and macOS. The long-press menu on Android also displays common actions.
Read next: You Can Now Access Google Chrome’s Media Controls in the Floating Mode
