14 DAY TRIAL // A new version of Google Chrome is now available for download on all supported platforms, not only with important security fixes, but also with changes under the hood that further refine the experience with the app.
But in addition to all these refinements, Google Chrome is a notable release because of several major updates, some of which will change the way we use the browser going forward.
First and foremost, beginning with this release, Google Chrome no longer supports the FTP protocol. Google has officially removed FTP from Chrome, which means you can no longer use the browser to connect to FTP servers and download and upload files.
It goes without saying this is quite a drawback for those using the browser just for this purpose, but according to Google itself, the number of people still relying on the built-in FTP support in Chrome is pretty reduced. So today’s change is likely to impact just a very small subset of users, as most have already made the switch to dedicated FTP clients.
And this is actually the thing you should do too if you previously used Google Chrome for FTP transfers and you are now impacted by this change. There are lots of FTP clients out there, many of which are available completely free of charge, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an app to help you with your FTP needs.
This new Google Chrome version also comes with the Web NFC API on mobile devices, which means web apps can now read NFC tags. In case you’re wondering why this is a helpful feature, it’s because the NFC support makes it possible to use mobile devices with web apps just like native apps, so Google Chrome becomes an even more useful browser on Android.
Right now, Google Chrome is the top browser on mobile and desktop anyway, so these improvements obviously come in handy to millions of users.
And last but not least, this new version of the browser continues the rollout of tab grouping, a feature that makes it much more convenient to manage tabs in the application.
Tab management is one of the key features of today’s browsers, so with tab groups, it’s a lot easier to just organize tabs in your very own groups with a series of extra, including colors and custom names. Managing tabs with this new feature can be done right from the tab bar, and this functionality is available on all desktop platforms where the new Chrome is available for download (Windows, Linux, and Mac).
In addition to these three major improvements, the new Google Chrome also comes with several improvements under the hood, so the browser obviously features more refinements and bug fixes that further refine the experience on the desktop and mobile.
Very important to know is that Google will skip one major Chrome release, as part of the company’s updated release calendar to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Chrome 82 would no longer go live, and instead the search giant will release Chrome 83 a few weeks earlier, which means it should land in mid-May. This is a schedule that other Chromium browsers, including Microsoft, have also embraced, with Microsoft Edge, for example, to also skip one major release and move directly to version 83.
In the meantime, the Canary, Dev, and Beta builds will continue to be updated normally, so if you want to try out new features in advance, you can install any of these side by side with the stable Chrome release.