14 DAY TRIAL // A silent change that Google is believed to have made to Chrome puts an end to using the browser on older versions of macOS, forcing users to upgrade to the most recent releases.
The search company hasn’t released any public announcement in this regard, but according to reports, the firm quietly updated the minimum system requirements for running Chrome on macOS.
The page now states that OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later is needed to run the browser on an Apple computer, which means that those who stuck with OS X Mavericks would no longer be able to upgrade the browser. Running a new version of Chrome fails with the following message:
“You can’t use this version of the application Google Chrome with this version of OS X. You have OS X 10.9.5. The application requires OS X 10.10 or later.”
Users on macOS who are no longer allowed to update Chrome can switch to Apple’s Safari, the native browser available on the operating system, or to Mozilla’s Firefox, which still offers support for older releases.
Google Chrome, the leading browser
And while alternatives still exist, not being able to run Google Chrome is quite a big loss, as this is currently the number one browser across the entire PC ecosystem.
Data indicates that Google Chrome runs on more than 60 percent of the desktops, with native browsers like Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and Apple’s Safari on macOS are trailing behind these third-party alternatives.
On Windows, Google Chrome requires at least Windows 7, which means that those who are still on Windows XP can no longer install the most recent versions of the browser. On Linux platforms, the application needs at least 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04+, Debian 8+, OpenSuSE 13.3+, or Fedora Linux 24+.
It remains to be seen if an official announcement from Google follows on the macOS changes, but in the meantime, impacted users can consider the alternatives above.