Chrome OS 68 arrived on the stable channel earlier this month with Display Size settings, new accessibility features, and more “Material 2.0” design tweaks. However, an issue with Wi-Fi on some Chromebooks has caused Google to temporarily pull the update.
After rolling out to Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, version 68 of Chrome OS is now available. Notable features include more “Material 2.0” elements across the UI, a range of accessibility improvements, and a Display Size setting. Security changes in this update mark HTTP sites as “Not secure” and enforce the Certificate Transparency policy.
Following the Mac, Windows, and Linux release, Chrome 68 is now rolling out to Android. Users will benefit from a new HTTP “Not secure” warning, as well as Spectre and redirect protections. There is also a new “Add to Home screen” prompt and an Android P-like tab switcher.
The latest version of Google Chrome is rolling out today for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Chrome 68 continues the push to boost HTTPS adoption on the web and reduce redirects to unwanted sites. Behind flags, Google is preparing a big Material Design refresh for desktops.
Following the disclosure of Spectre and Meltdown CPU vulnerabilities earlier this year, the entire tech industry has been working to secure devices. In the current stable version of Chrome, Google has widely rolled out a security feature called Site Isolation to protect desktop browsers against Spectre.
Chrome 68 is rolling out today to the beta channel with a number of features ranging from security and PWA enhancements to crash reduction. On the design front, the vertical tab switcher on Android adopts an Android P-like appearance, while a significant Material Design look is in the works for desktop.
Last month, Chrome for Android began testing a horizontal tab switcher in the experimental Dev channel. It was very similar to the current design and reflected the rumored changes coming to Android P’s Recents menu. Chrome is now testing a tab switcher that is more in line with Developer Preview 2 from I/O 2018.
Google has long been a big proponent of pushing HTTPS as seen with the .app top-level domain where security is default and in Search rankings. The biggest adoption drive has been through Chrome, with the browser soon marking all HTTP sites as “Not secure.”
When that fully rolls out, Google will begin phasing out the green “Secure” badge and lock icon as security becomes the default expectation.
Since the launch of Android P in March, there has been a lot of discussion about Google’s future design direction. Falling under the general banner of “Material Design 2,” that possible “refresh” is now live in the latest version of Chrome Canary for Windows.
In early 2017, Chrome began prominently labeling certain insecure HTTP sites as “Not secure” in the address bar. Today, Google announced plans to mark all HTTP pages the same way on an upcoming version of the browser later this year.
To improve performance and reduce crashes on Windows, Google Chrome is going to block third-party software from injecting code into the browser. The Chromium team announced a multi-stage plan today to block code injection that will begin next year.
