Category: Chrome

The regular monthly security update to the Chrome browser has been released with over a dozen different security fixes.  The update build is version 51.0.2704.79 for those keeping score at home and it is rolling out now to those who have the browser installed on their Windows PC, Mac or Linux device.  If you have the browser installed, you can wait for the OTA to come to you or you can got to Menu>Settings>About> which will force the update to happen.  You’ll need to restart Chrome once you have the update installed.

The Chromium team has released Chrome build 51 for Windows and Mac, updating the browser with a significant number of bug fixes and security improvements.  The updated build is version 51.0.2704.63 and it is available now for those of you who have the browser installed.  To force the update, go to Menu>Settings>About and the browser will go and look for the update, download it and after you restart your the browser, will apply it.  Do note Linux users, this update is not available to you just yet.  The release notice from the Chromium team indicates that the Linux build will be coming out shortly.

As most readers will know by now, Chrome v50 was released earlier this week and to celebrate the occasion, Google has released some very interesting stats about the browser and its usage.  There are a lot of good tidbits in the infographic shared by the company but the one that sticks out is the number of mobile Chrome users.  In all, there are over 1 billion mobile users of the browser each month.  That is just mobile users alone.  No matter how you slice it, that is an amazingly impressive number.

Google has released a new Chrome extension named Save to Google that allows you to save web pages to your Google account.  The extension puts an icon on your toolbar in Chrome and with a single click, the page you are viewing is saved to your account which you can refer to later.  If this sounds a lot like Pocket or Evernote’s Web Clipper, you are not wrong.  They are similar in functionality but with Save to Google, you have everything in one place.

If you are using the Chrome Browser on your Windows, Mac or Linux PC, there is a new and important update out for you.  The update addresses five critical security issues that have been fixed and all users are encouraged to update to the latest version.  The build you are looking for is 49.0.2623.108 and you can see what version you have and get the update downloaded to your device by going to chrome://help in the browser and it will automatically start downloading the update for you.  Once it is downloaded, you will need to restart the browser for the changes to take effect (but not reboot your computer).

Google has announced that the Chrome App Launcher for Windows, Mac and Linux is being retired with it being completely eliminated by July of this year.  Citing the lack of use and the preference for users to launch apps from within Chrome itself, the launcher will be slowly phased out over the coming weeks with apps no longer being able to be added and warning messages that the app is going away in July.  By the time July hits, it will no longer be available or supported.