To eliminate bugs and add new functions, manufacturers regularly publish updates for their products. Due to the corona virus, the employees of Google also work in the home office, which makes it difficult to test and develop major version updates. Google and Microsoft therefore announced a few days ago that they would not release any new versions for their browsers. This means that the optional updates will no longer be available in the near future, but security patches and the monthly patch day will continue to exist.
In order to be able to offer users a stable browser, Google has currently stopped the release of new versions of Chrome. In the official blog post, the developers explain that the changed working conditions are responsible for the update stop. For the finally released versions, such as Chrome, security updates should continue to appear in order to close discovered security gaps. Google is also announcing on social media that it will soon be launching more channels to continue testing new versions. However, these will not appear as a final version. Microsoft responds similarly to the effects of the corona virus.
Google Wants To Ensure That Chrome Remains Stable And Secure
The preview channels, where the new browser versions can be tested in advance, are supplied with updates according to the normal schedule. In addition, there are no optional updates for Google anymore. However, all security related updates will continue to be provided. Google wants to ensure that Chrome remains stable and secure, especially in times of crisis.
It is currently questionable when the previously announced Google Chrome version 81 will be released by the US company. However, Google publishes a service update for the browser. It can currently be assumed that a small team will continue to work on updates. Should security gaps become known in the future, problems could arise since Google has to react promptly depending on the severity of the vulnerability. It remains to be seen whether this is currently possible. The missing updates also affect not only Google products, but also the Microsoft Edge browser. It is not known whether the search engine giant will freeze further update cycles in the future.
