A while back, we heard about tech giant Google talking about a promise that any outdated extensions on the Chrome browser would be replaced.
Now, it appears like the Android maker is staying true to just that as many users are complaining about seeing alerts from Google about the extensions getting disabled.
For those who might not be aware, Chrome extensions entail new features for the browser and also provide a host of features including ad blockers and cloud computing, not to mention password managers.
The firm explained that it was going to get rid of old extensions making use of the ancient Manifest V2 system. Now, it appears that it’s becoming a reality as Google wouldn’t be providing support on that front.
This leaves a lot of questions on our minds. For starters, how can we tell which extension on Chrome would stop functioning? Well, if you’d like to check which one of the extensions is endangered of getting removed, you can follow a series of troubleshooting steps.
Firstly, click on the icon for Extensions that are located in the top right-hand side of the browser’s window. It’s symbolic to that of a jigsaw puzzle piece. You can even go to the menu for Settings and select extensions through the menu that drops down.
Next, you’ll see the page for extensions open up. This would come with a new warning of any outdated extensions that make use of older frameworks.
Image: yia00 / Reddit
Now some users might wonder what the next course of action is if the extension in question isn’t on the list. Well, not a lot can be done here. You won’t be able to update the extensions as that needs extension developers to enhance codes using the newest V3 Manifest.
See, experts claim one of the biggest reasons why many Chrome extensions use V2 is because the developers aren’t upgrading it. Hence, it’s going to be removed with time and won’t be enabled for more downloads in the future.
It’s an issue because so many ad blockers happen to be a part of this and therefore would be impacted by the change to the newer V3 framework.
Google does try its best to assist by rolling out alternative options for certain older extensions but they aren’t direct replacements.
From the screengrab seen above, one of the older extensions that could be removed soon is the Wikiwand which makes Wikipedia appear so much more enticing and simpler to comprehend.
Other replacements that Google suggests entail Adobe Acrobat’s PDF reader and Chrome Remote Desktop. But we have to admit none of the alternatives provide what Wikiwand has to offer.
Last but not least, will this sudden change impact other browsers that are based on Chrome?
In case you’re not already aware, Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi make use of similar extension libraries like Google Chrome. While none of the browsers displayed warnings of extensions getting expired in their tests, Microsoft did reveal plans to stop support for V2 Manifest but no timeframe was provided in this regard.
Meanwhile, Vivaldi did mention how it would also be dropping out support for such extensions using V2 but that might be delayed until June of next year so there is some time.
Vivaldi does explain more details including how many of the features that are built into the system cannot be impacted by such changes. Another statement spoke about how the firm was integrating trackers and that any ad-blocking features weren’t based solely on Chrome’s extension framework. This is why they’re upgrading various powers as well as performance.
Read next: Security Experts Raise Alarm As Android’s Spyware Mandrake Still Looms On Google Play Store
Now, it appears like the Android maker is staying true to just that as many users are complaining about seeing alerts from Google about the extensions getting disabled.
For those who might not be aware, Chrome extensions entail new features for the browser and also provide a host of features including ad blockers and cloud computing, not to mention password managers.
The firm explained that it was going to get rid of old extensions making use of the ancient Manifest V2 system. Now, it appears that it’s becoming a reality as Google wouldn’t be providing support on that front.
This leaves a lot of questions on our minds. For starters, how can we tell which extension on Chrome would stop functioning? Well, if you’d like to check which one of the extensions is endangered of getting removed, you can follow a series of troubleshooting steps.
Firstly, click on the icon for Extensions that are located in the top right-hand side of the browser’s window. It’s symbolic to that of a jigsaw puzzle piece. You can even go to the menu for Settings and select extensions through the menu that drops down.
Next, you’ll see the page for extensions open up. This would come with a new warning of any outdated extensions that make use of older frameworks.
Image: yia00 / Reddit
Now some users might wonder what the next course of action is if the extension in question isn’t on the list. Well, not a lot can be done here. You won’t be able to update the extensions as that needs extension developers to enhance codes using the newest V3 Manifest.
See, experts claim one of the biggest reasons why many Chrome extensions use V2 is because the developers aren’t upgrading it. Hence, it’s going to be removed with time and won’t be enabled for more downloads in the future.
It’s an issue because so many ad blockers happen to be a part of this and therefore would be impacted by the change to the newer V3 framework.
Google does try its best to assist by rolling out alternative options for certain older extensions but they aren’t direct replacements.
From the screengrab seen above, one of the older extensions that could be removed soon is the Wikiwand which makes Wikipedia appear so much more enticing and simpler to comprehend.
Other replacements that Google suggests entail Adobe Acrobat’s PDF reader and Chrome Remote Desktop. But we have to admit none of the alternatives provide what Wikiwand has to offer.
Last but not least, will this sudden change impact other browsers that are based on Chrome?
In case you’re not already aware, Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi make use of similar extension libraries like Google Chrome. While none of the browsers displayed warnings of extensions getting expired in their tests, Microsoft did reveal plans to stop support for V2 Manifest but no timeframe was provided in this regard.
Meanwhile, Vivaldi did mention how it would also be dropping out support for such extensions using V2 but that might be delayed until June of next year so there is some time.
Vivaldi does explain more details including how many of the features that are built into the system cannot be impacted by such changes. Another statement spoke about how the firm was integrating trackers and that any ad-blocking features weren’t based solely on Chrome’s extension framework. This is why they’re upgrading various powers as well as performance.
Read next: Security Experts Raise Alarm As Android’s Spyware Mandrake Still Looms On Google Play Store
