Google on Tuesday announced some major updates to Chrome 88, including tab search and enhanced password protections.
The new password protections are perhaps the bulk of Chrome 88. One of the new features will allow users to easily fix weak passwords. The update will identify when a password is weak and then give Chrome users the opportunity to create and store something much stronger.
Speaking of editing weak passwords, Google said Chrome 88 will also make it much easier to update multiple usernames and passwords in one convenient location. In Chrome settings on the desktop and iOS, users will be able to manage all their saved passwords. The same feature will be available on Android soon, according to Google.
The improved password features come amid a barrage of other bug fixes and improvements, including better support for the dark theme in Windows 10, less intrusive permission requests, and a new Chrome flag for guide search, which is now available at Chromebooks. Chrome will also no longer support FTP URLs.
Google is also introducing a series of hidden changes to Chrome 88, which the search giant detailed on its developer website. One such change is the digital goods API. Web apps published on the Google Play Store can now use Play Store billing, just like native apps.
These new updates arrive in the wake of the changes introduced at the end of last year, which were designed to make extensions more private and secure. The search giant said that starting in 2021, this would change the way extensions access data and how permissions work when an extension is installed. It would also provide users with more transparency about using data from an extension.
Google has taken a stricter approach to privacy in Chrome. Last year, the company launched a Chrome security check feature, biometric password-filling authentication on iOS and a touch-to-fill feature on Android.
Google said the new features in Chrome 88 will be available in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for an update to your browser.