Google will release Chrome 88 on the stable channel today, January 19, 2021. The latest browser includes some cool changes, including an improved dark theme for Windows 10 and the introduction of less intrusive permission instructions. Here are the highlights.
Support for better dark theme on Windows 10
Chrome has been supporting Windows 10’s system-wide dark theme for a while, but Chrome 88 makes it a little better. Dark theme now applies to sliders on many of Chrome’s internal pages. These include Settings, Bookmarks, History, New Tab Page, and more. It is not yet available on sites that support dark themes.
No more FTP in Google Chrome
With Chrome 88, Google Chrome no longer supports FTP URLs – in other words, ftp: // addresses.
FTP support is an outdated feature that provides no support for encrypted connections (no FTPS). An attacker could modify files that you download during download, unlike with encrypted HTTPS or FTPS, where this is not possible. As Chrome and other browsers move to an ever-encrypted web, it makes sense to drop old protocols like these.
Google has been working for a while to remove FTP from Chrome, but it was still available to some people – and a flag could make it possible. Google’s usage data showed that very few people use FTP. Now all FTP support is disabled. If you want to use FTP, you need a separate FTP app.
No more support for Mac OS X Yosemite
Google officially rejects support for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite in Chrome 88. Mac users will need OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later to use Chrome 88. This should not come as a shock, as Apple has not supported Yosemite since 2017.
Legacy Browser Add-on Forever
With Chrome 85, Google removed its Legacy Browser Support add-on when the functionality was built into Chrome. Chrome 88 takes it a step further and eliminates all installed instances of the add-on.
LBS is designed for IT administrators to call up Microsoft Internet Explorer in Chrome for older applications written for that browser as well as intranets. Since it’s now built into Chrome, the addition is unnecessary.
Less intrusive permission requests
Chrome 88 is experimenting with a smaller and less intrusive way of asking permission. Instead of the pop-up that covers the content of the website, a new ‘chip’ appears to the left of the URL.
The slide first appears with full text such as ‘Use your location?’ After a few seconds, it just reduces to a small icon. Clicking on the slide, which looks like a blue oval shape, becomes the permission prompt you are used to seeing.
You can try out the new “chips” permission right now by enabling the flag chrome://flags/#permission-chip
Test light and dark themes for Chrome OS
Google is testing more defined light and dark themes for Chromebooks. The theme can be switched between the quick settings menu. Themes affect the window shelf, application launcher and quick settings. Not everything currently works 100%.
If you want to try it on a Chrome OS system, the flag can be activated on chrome://flags/#dark-light-mode. After restarting, the theme switch will appear in the quick settings.
Tab search comes to the desktop
Chrome 87 brought a handy Tab Search feature to Chromebooks, but it was not available on Windows, Mac or Linux. Chrome 88 brings it to the platforms via a Chrome flag.
When activated, you will see a drop down arrow in the top tab bar that shows all your open tabs when selected. You can then use the integrated search bar to find the tab you are looking for.
To enable this feature in Chrome 88, enable the Tab Search tab at chrome://flags/#enable-tab-search.
RELATED: How to search for open tabs on Google Chrome
Developer Goods
Many of the latest in every Chrome version are under the hood and Chrome 88 is no exception. Google has outlined many of these changes to the developer site and the Chromium blog:
- Digital Goods API: Web apps published in the Google Play Store can now use Play Store billing just like native apps.
- WebXR: AR Lighting Estimate: For AR and VR content on Android, lighting estimation can help make models feel more natural and as if they “fit” better with the user’s environment.
- Anchor target = _blank implies rel = noopener by default: To defend against ‘tab-napping’ attacks, anchors that target
_blankwill act as ifrelis set tonoopener. - CSS Aspect Ratio Property: It explicitly allows an aspect ratio for any element to get similar behavior as a replaced element.
- Origin insulation: Web applications can choose to increase the security of a page in exchange for granting access to certain APIs.
- JavaScript engine: Chrome 88 features version 8.8 of the V8 JavaScript engine.
As always, Chrome will automatically install the update when it’s available. Click Menu> Help> About Google Chrome to instantly check for and install available updates.
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