Google has now announced that it will now speed up Chrome’s release cycle to four weeks commencing with Chrome 94 in Q3 2021. Previously, Google had been delivering new releases every six weeks. Besides this, Google said that it will release smaller patches every two weeks.
For over a decade, Chrome has been shipping a new update each and every 6 weeks
But, now the Mountain View, California-based giant has decided to speed up Chrome’s release cycle to 4 weeks after seeing improvements to testing and release processes for Chrome.
A blog post by Google Chrome Operations technical program manager Alex Mineer stated, as the company has now enhanced its testing and release processes for Chrome, and additionally implemented bi-weekly security updates that improve the security patch gap, it’s now evident that the company can now speed up release cycle and offer new features more quickly.
Moreover, the tech giant also said it would provide a new extended stable version of Chrome, that will be available to enterprise admins and Chromium embedders who want further extra time to manage the updates. Every 8 weeks, Google will add the ‘Extended Stable’ option, with new milestone updates. Security updates on Extended Stable will be released every two weeks to resolve critical issues, however, those updates won’t be containing any new features or all security fixes that the 4-week option will be obtaining.
For Chrome OS users, the company additionally plans to support multiple stable release options. In the upcoming months, Google will be having more to share with Chrome OS admins.
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