Google Chrome is now encouraging uBlock Origin customers who’ve up to date to the newest model to change to different advert blockers earlier than Manifest v2 extensions are disabled.
As uBlock Origin lead developer and maintainer Raymond Hill defined on Friday, that is the results of Google deprecating assist for the Manifest v2 (MV2) extensions platform in favor of Manifest v3 (MV3).
“uBO is a Manifest v2 extension, therefore the warning in your Google Chrome browser. There isn’t any Manifest v3 model of uBO, therefore the browser will recommend various extensions as a substitute for uBO,” Hill defined.
“uBO Lite (uBOL) is a pared-down model of uBO with a finest effort at changing filter lists utilized by uBO right into a Manifest v3-compliant strategy, with a concentrate on reliability and effectivity as has been the case with uBO since first printed in June 2014.”
Google Chrome customers are additionally warned to take away or exchange the uBlock Origin advert blocker with comparable extensions.
A “Discover various” hyperlink additionally sends them to this Chrome Net Retailer web page, which advises them to change to uBO Lite, Adblock Plus, Stands AdBlocker, or Ghostery.
Warning exhibiting up subsequent to all MV3 extensions
Nevertheless, uBlock Origin customers aren’t the one ones seeing this warning banner, because it’s now displayed on the chrome://extensions web page for all MV2 extensions after updating to Chrome model 127. Customers within the Chrome Beta, Dev, and Canary channels have been seeing these warnings since June 3, 2024.
Over the approaching months, Google will disable extensions which have remained on the MV2 platform and ask customers to decide on an MV3 various.
Whereas customers will nonetheless be capable to re-enable their MV2 extensions quickly, this selection will ultimately be eliminated.
“This can be adopted regularly within the coming months by the disabling of these extensions. Customers can be directed to the Chrome Net Retailer, the place they are going to be really helpful Manifest V3 alternate options for his or her disabled extension,” Google explains within the MV2 deprecation timeline.
“For a short while after the extensions are disabled, customers will nonetheless be capable to flip their Manifest V2 extensions again on, however over time, this toggle will go away as properly.”
The corporate provides that these adjustments can be rolled out to all customers within the Chrome Steady channel over the approaching months, with the purpose of finishing the transition to the MV3 customary by the beginning of 2025.
Enterprise MV2 deprecation beginning in June 2025
Enterprises utilizing the ExtensionManifestV2Availability coverage, which permits them to regulate Manifest v2 extension availability on Linux, Mac, Home windows, and ChromeOS, can be exempt from any browser adjustments till June 2025, when the Chrome MV2 deprecation enterprise rollout begins.
Google introduced the rollout of the Manifest V3 extensions platform with the discharge of Chrome 88 in December 2020.
This new framework additionally launched main technical challenges for extension builders, particularly for these requiring better management over net browser features resembling advert blockers, forcing them to create new extensions with restricted capabilities (like Hill’s uBlock Origin Lite).
uBlock Origin’s developer has additionally created a FAQ explaining the variations between the Manifest V2 extension and the brand new Lite Manifest V3 model.