Google has historically released new versions of Chrome every six weeks with smaller dots rolled out in between. In a major change, Google Chrome is moving to a four-week update cycle this year.
From the beginning, Google has been aggressively focusing on updating its browser in the background. Chrome is built this way to ensure security, with new versions being silently downloaded and users being regularly prompted to install by restarting.
Major versions (ie 88 -> 89) with new features are released every six weeks, while smaller security-oriented updates appear fortnightly. Later this year, Google plans to release a “milestone” every four weeks so that new features on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS and Chrome OS can come faster monthly.
As we improved our testing and release processes for Chrome and used fortnightly security updates to improve our patch gap, it became clear that we were able to shorten our release cycle and speed up new features.
This four-week cycle is expected to “move the majority of users more consistently to the latest stable version within two weeks.”
As part of this change, ‘enterprise administrators and Chromium providers who need extra time to manage updates” will get an ‘Extended stable’ milestone that lasts longer than eight weeks. Regular, unmanaged Chrome users will not be able to access this channel.
Security updates on Extended Stable are released every two weeks to resolve major issues, but the updates do not include new features or all security solutions that will receive the 4-week option.
Chrome OS, which is updated a week after desktop and mobile updates, also gets support for several stable versions. More details will appear in the coming months for Chromebook administrators with managed devices.
Google will implement this new release cycle with Chrome 94 in the third quarter of 2021. The company is currently aiming for September 21 for the update, with the latest six-week version of Chrome 93 on August 31. A preliminary schedule is available with new documentation, and the team takes feedback from Chromium contributors at [email protected].
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