The next releases of Google Chrome could arrive sooner for some lucky users thanks to a new initiative from the company.
The browser will now see an “early stable” release to select users before a broader general release will follow shortly thereafter.
Google Chrome v110 will be the first version to have such a release schedule, with a beta launch on January 12, 2023, followed by an “early stable” release on February 1 and hopefully a finalized “stable” release on February 7.
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In blog post In presenting the decision, Rachel Andrew, a technical writer for Google and content manager for the Chrome Developers website, noted that the change would help the company spot any potential issues with new builds of Chrome before the latest version is made available to a wider audience.
“By releasing the stable version to a small percentage of users early, we have a chance to monitor the release before it is released to all our users. If any issue is found causing the display to stop, it can be resolved while the impact is relatively minor,” he wrote, adding that “for most developers, this change will have little impact.”
Google hasn’t specified exactly who the privileged early adopters will be, but they are likely to be those currently receiving early experimental updates through the existing Canary channel.
Google Chrome has received some high-profile updates in recent weeks as the company tries to make its browser useful for customers.
This includes a new memory saving mode that promises to free up memory from browser tabs that are open in the background but not in use, which the company claims will make browsing the active tab more fluid.
There’s also a new power saving mode that will detect when your device’s battery reaches 20%, at which point background activity and visuals like animations and videos will be curtailed, helping you make the most of your extra minutes.
The company has also partnered with big rivals Apple and Mozilla to deliver an improved web browser benchmarking tool, with Speedometer 3 designed to measure response time by simulating user interaction in demo web apps.