14 DAY TRIAL // Google continues the migration to HTTPS, and the company this week announced that Google Chrome would default to this protocol whenever the user does not provide a complete link in the address bar.
So theoretically, if you’re in a rush and just type the domain name without actually mentioning whether you want to use HTTP or HTTPS, Google Chrome would just use the latter as the default option going forward. At this point, Google Chrome uses HTTP by default.
The change will happen in Google Chrome 90, the search giant announced.
“Starting in version 90, Chrome’s address bar will use https:// by default, improving privacy and even loading speed for users visiting websites that support HTTPS. Chrome users who navigate to websites by manually typing a URL often don’t include “http://” or “https://”. For example, users often type “example.com” instead of “https://example.com” in the address bar. In this case, if it was a user’s first visit to a website, Chrome would previously choose http:// as the default protocol. This was a practical default in the past, when much of the web did not support HTTPS,” Google says.
Chrome 90 launching in April
Sites that don’t use HTTPS won’t lose any visitors, at least not right now. Google Chrome will automatically determine that only HTTP Is being used and thus load it automatically when you don’t type the full URL.
Google says the change would happen in Chrome 90 only on the desktop and Android, but the switch to HTTPS by default would also be enforced on iPhones at a later time.
“HTTPS protects users by encrypting traffic sent over the network, so that sensitive information users enter on websites cannot be intercepted or modified by attackers or eavesdroppers. Chrome is invested in ensuring that HTTPS is the default protocol for the web, and this change is one more step towards ensuring Chrome always uses secure connections by default,” Google says.
Chrome 90 is projected to get the go-ahead on April 13.