The new version enforces the "Not Secure" HTTP warning

Oct 18, 2017 00:11 GMT  ·  By

Google quietly promoted the Chrome 62 web browser to the stable channel today for desktops, including Mac, GNU/Linux, and Microsoft Windows platforms.

As usual, Google updated the Chrome Beta channel to version 62.0.3202.62 for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and we were expecting to see another blog announcement for the stable release, but it didn't happen and users reported in the comments that they are receiving the same build as a stable update, not beta.

If you're updating your Chrome browser right now on your Linux, Mac or Windows PC, you'll receive version 62.0.3202.62, a release that it would appear to the introduce a more aggressive "Not secure" warning for websites that are still using the HTTP protocol instead of the more secure HTTPS (Secure HTTP) one.

Chrome 62 also improves the network information API by implementing network quality indicators, adds support for OpenType Variable Fonts, and introduces the ability to capture and process media streams from HTMLMediaElements using the Media Capture from the DOM elements API.

New Chrome updates for Android and Chrome OS coming soon

Also new in the Chrome 62 update, there's a new Payment Request API for Chrome for iOS, new Ambient Light Sensor API that lets websites adapt to changes under a variety of lighting conditions, as well as a new WebVR Origin Trial to allow developers build rich Virtual Reality experiences on the Web.

For Android 8.0 "Oreo," the new Chrome 62 stable update puts websites with notification permissions in Android Settings, under Chrome, as a "Notification Channel." Of course, Google also patched lots of security vulnerabilities and bugs in the Chrome 62 release, so you should check out the Chrome 62 Beta announcement for more details.

Google Chrome 62.0.3202.62 is available for download right now for GNULinux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows operating systems from our web portal. We recommend all users to update to this stable version as soon as possible, which will be coming soon to your Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as to Chromebook users.

Update: Minutes after publishing this story, Google made an official announcement for the Chrome 62 stable update, where the company said it fixed 35 security issues, awarding researchers with more than $37,000 USD.