Google Chrome Users—This Is How Long You Have To Switch To Firefox

Google has confirmed a timeline for the changes to its Chrome browser that could cause some ad blockers to break. The Google Chrome changes—dubbed Manifest V3—have already led some users to flee to alternatives such as Firefox.

More people could be switching to Firefox over the next year as starting in January 2023 in Chrome 112, Chrome may run experiments to turn off support for Manifest V2 extensions in Canary, Dev, and Beta channels, according to a blog post.

Things start to ramp up further in June in Chrome 115, Google “may run experiments to turn off support for Manifest V2 extensions in all channels, including stable channel.”

Then, in January 2024, the Chrome Web Store will remove all remaining Manifest V2 items, with enterprise V2 support ending at the same time.

Manifest V3 includes a revamp of the permissions system via the removal of the blocking version of the WebRequest API. Google says the change will improve security because currently, an adversary could change everything on a person’s web page without the user or Google knowing about it. The change also makes abuses easier to detect when the extension is submitted to Google’s store.

But the upcoming Chrome changes could break “quite a few extensions,” says independent security researcher Sean Wright. He predicts older extensions that aren’t well-supported will suffer. “While this may be a good thing from a security perspective, it is important to note that the change will likely have a significant negative impact of the users of these browsers.

“Since most people are far more interested in functionality, it will be interesting to see how many users will simply switch from Chrome to browsers such as Firefox.”

Opposition to Manifest V3 in Chrome

Manifest V3 has been met with opposition. Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) say the tech giant could better police its apps using humans—rather than limit the way current ones work.

Meanwhile, some critics point out that the Manifest V3 change is convenient to Google’s business model, which is based on advertising. “There are several other methods that Google could use to improve security,” says Wright. “It’s in Google’s best interests to prevent ad blockers, since this is much of what their business model is built upon.”

Some ad blocking extensions have adjusted, with firms such as AdGuard launching its own Manifest V3 compliant version on the Chrome store. However, ad blockers such as Ghostery have been vocal in their opposition to the Google Chrome changes.

Google defends Manifest V3

Google is defending the move to Manifest V3, saying the possible drop in functionality is worth it for the security benefits. Manifest V3 is intended to protect less techy users of the Chrome browser, Google says.

“Extensions are some of the most powerful tools that people have to customize their Chrome browsing experience, so it’s critical that all uses continue to be possible with Manifest V3,” says David Li, product manager for Google Chrome.

He says Google is working with the developer community “to offer an extensions platform that’s incredibly secure and capable,” adding that the browser maker will “continue to announce new Manifest V3 capabilities in response to developer feedback.”

Firefox confirms support for ad blockers

The arrival of Manifest V3 will be a blow to Chrome users who like to use privacy focused ad blockers to improve their experience. Thankfully, Firefox has confirmed it will maintain support for the blocking version of the WebRequest API in Manifest V3, which will keep more privacy-focused ad blocking extensions available for its users.

For any Chrome users looking to switch, there are online guides detailing how to move everything over to Firefox. If you don’t fancy Firefox, there are other Chromium-based alternatives available, including Brave—which builds ad blocking into the browser itself—Vivaldi and Edge.

If you are an Apple user and want to avoid Chromium—the engine that Google Chrome is based on as well as many other browsers—there is always Safari, which offers built in tracker blockers.