Google is working on shutting down the old ruleset for Chrome browser extensions in favor of a new ruleset. The switch from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 brings along with it a huge problem: extensions that are not updated will cease to work.
While no one has counted the extensions that rely on Manifest V2 in the Chrome Web Store, the count is likely in the thousands. Not all of the are actively maintained.
In addition, some extensions cannot be upgraded without loss of functionality. This is especially the case for content blockers.
Google, an advertising company first and foremost, does have a vetted interest in limiting content blockers. While there is no evidence that the company has made the decision to limit content blockers deliberately, it is clear that content blockers suffer under Manifest V3.
Soon, Chrome is warning users who have extensions installed that rely on Manifest V2. The browser lists extensions that won’t be supported by Chrome in the near future on the extensions page.
Google suggests to either remove the extensions entirely or to replace them with extensions from the Chrome Web Store that support Manifest V3.
Popular extensions such as uBlock Origin and even some of Google’s own are listed there as incompatible.
While there is a chance that some of these extensions will be updated to support Manifest V3, users of Chrome should not get their hopes up that this is the case for all extensions currently incompatible.
If you use Chrome, you can enable the deprecation warning right now in Chrome Canary.
- Load chrome://flags/#extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-warning in the Chrome address bar.
- Change the state to Enabled.
- Restart Google Chrome.
- Load chrome://extensions to see the list of unsupported extensions.
Google has revealed the following information about the deprecation of Manifest V2:
- June 2024 — Manifest V2 extensions will be disabled in pre-stable versions of Chrome starting in Chrome 127. Manifest V2 extensions cannot be installed in Chrome anymore. Google will roll out the change gradually.
- July 2024 or later — After monitoring the deprecation for at least a month, Google will roll out the deprecation to stable versions of Google Chrome.
- June 2025 — Manifest V2 extensions cannot be installed anymore on Enterprise devices running Chrome.
The change will impact most Chromium-based browsers as well.
What about your extensions? Are some of them only available as Manifest V2 extensions?
I stopped using chrome years ago after the first time “they” removed “my” extensions without my consent.
Three of my most valuable extensions are uBlock Origin, NoScript and Cookie Auto-Delete, all in Brave browser. I’ll do whatever I learn to do to keep these functions, including changing browser to one that allows these.
Every great browser of the past has lived and died by its decisions on continuing to support extensions and plugins.
If Chrome dies, it will ruin Google. They’re taking a huge risk that their users won’t leave them for the next new shiny thing if and when it comes along.
This flaming carcrash will be fun to watch. I have already removed Chrome from all my friends and relatives computers and replaced it with Firefox. No one has complained. Phones are a bit trickier, everyone runs Kiwi at the moment which will also eventually become total garbage. However, the developer releases a new version only maybe twice a year so we should be good for a while. Hopefully Firefox will get their s**t together on android, otherwise I guess it’s just best to use the last “good” version of Kiwi as long as something better comes along. The risk of malware from browsing the web on Android is very minimal anyway with Ublock Origin/Kiwi and there will be many long years before an old version of Kiwi will not show webpages or work correctly. Absolutely worth using it just for the adblocking itself, ads on phonescreens are just a nightmare. But yeah Google, this can get very ugly for ya! =)