Google has been trying its best to make browsing and platform experience altogether safer for its users. In the light of this consideration, the tech giant is all set to bring some massive changes in its Manifest V3.
The Manifest V3, if you do not know, is the updated and better version of the current Manifest V2. It is a platform which helps users create Google Chrome extensions and while Manifest V2 did the same, the newer version Manifest V3 which got released in 2019, is a more secure and updated model.
The tech giant is now bringing some changes in both these Manifest. What are these?
Since 2019, both Manifest V3 and Manifest V2 are working side by side, however there were always speculation that Google will discontinue Manifest V2 in the future. Looks like the time for that has come.
As of January 17th, 2022, Google will stop accepting any extensions that will be formed through Manifest V2 in the Chrome Web Store. While old manifests will still receive updates, new ones will not be created through chrome web store, however, extensions can be created from outside the chrome web store for Manifest 2 and that will work properly.
However, this will only be a year-long lived and Google will ban all sorts of extensions created from Manifest V2 despite it being outside of Chrome Web Store, from the beginning of 2023. Hence, from 2023, all users will be forced to switch to Manifest V3.
The tech giant has not updated much on this issue and we are not sure what versions of Chrome will be going through these changes. Details for this will be made later by the browsing giant.
However, while Manifest V3 will be making a permanent appearance within two years’ time, there are some controversies that are standing against it and need to be resolved.
The biggest of all the controversies was the introduction of the new Declarative Net Request API. Google used the Web Request API and users haven’t shown a great response to the new API. This is because many ad blockers rely on the Web Request API to block unwanted content and the new API does not offer this feature.
Google, though has made some changes on this issue on the public demand and things look better than before for the API.
Read next: Google's new updated Chrome 94 will be making its way sooner than we expected
The Manifest V3, if you do not know, is the updated and better version of the current Manifest V2. It is a platform which helps users create Google Chrome extensions and while Manifest V2 did the same, the newer version Manifest V3 which got released in 2019, is a more secure and updated model.
The tech giant is now bringing some changes in both these Manifest. What are these?
Since 2019, both Manifest V3 and Manifest V2 are working side by side, however there were always speculation that Google will discontinue Manifest V2 in the future. Looks like the time for that has come.
As of January 17th, 2022, Google will stop accepting any extensions that will be formed through Manifest V2 in the Chrome Web Store. While old manifests will still receive updates, new ones will not be created through chrome web store, however, extensions can be created from outside the chrome web store for Manifest 2 and that will work properly.
However, this will only be a year-long lived and Google will ban all sorts of extensions created from Manifest V2 despite it being outside of Chrome Web Store, from the beginning of 2023. Hence, from 2023, all users will be forced to switch to Manifest V3.
The tech giant has not updated much on this issue and we are not sure what versions of Chrome will be going through these changes. Details for this will be made later by the browsing giant.
However, while Manifest V3 will be making a permanent appearance within two years’ time, there are some controversies that are standing against it and need to be resolved.
The biggest of all the controversies was the introduction of the new Declarative Net Request API. Google used the Web Request API and users haven’t shown a great response to the new API. This is because many ad blockers rely on the Web Request API to block unwanted content and the new API does not offer this feature.
Google, though has made some changes on this issue on the public demand and things look better than before for the API.
Read next: Google's new updated Chrome 94 will be making its way sooner than we expected
