Despite the great competition it faces, Chrome maintains an unbeatable market share. The Google browser is the preferred and chosen by most users to connect to the Internet, both for the convenience offered by its functions and for the security it provides. In order not to be left behind, Google must constantly update and improve the browser, correcting errors and adding new functions and improvements. And, as part of that evolution, today we have with us the new Chrome 90 .
A few hours ago, Google launched this new version of its web browser for all users who have version 89, or earlier, of it installed. The new Chrome 90 has been in the testing phase for a long time (both in the Canary branch and in the Beta branch), and, after ensuring that there are no errors and problems in its changes, it has finally reached users.
What’s new in Google Chrome 90
The new Chrome 90 carries quite a few changes scattered throughout the browser. Some of these changes are designed to improve the experience of using the browser, while others aim to strengthen the security of users.
The first of the most important changes that we find in the new version of the browser is the arrival of the AV1 codec . This new codec aims to improve the quality of video streaming on different platforms, as well as reduce the use of data on slow Internet connections. AV1 will not be used only on platforms such as HBO, Netflix or Disney +, but will also be used on other streaming platforms, such as the Microsoft Teams website or Discord. Other browsers, such as Firefox, already supported this codec, and now it is Google who has included it in their browser. Of course, AV1 will not work by magic, but it will be the websites that must use this codec instead of H.264.
The security of the browser has been another of the points that has improved the most in this new version of Chrome. Until now, when typing a URL in the address bar (the omnibar), it sent a request through HTTP before redirecting to HTTPS. This, finally, is history. From now on, from the first moment we write in the address bar, the HTTPS protocol is used, improving the general security of the browser. Another security measure that we can find in this new version is that now the browser blocks HTTP downloads that are launched from an HTTPS website.
Other important changes that also arrive in this new version are:
- Ability to rename browser windows. Within the menu, in the “More tools” section, we will find an option that will allow us to change the name of the window.
- New WebXR Depth API to improve apps.
- The URL protocol is better compliant with standards.
- New performance overlay system for developers.
- Chrome blocks HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP connections on port 554.
Two high severity security flaws have also been fixed, CVE-2021-21220 and CVE-2021-21206 , of which, for security reasons, no data has yet been provided.
Download or update
The new version of the browser will reach all users who already have a previous version installed automatically. There is nothing to do to install it. This will be downloaded automatically while we have the computer on, and the next time we open the browser it will be installed automatically. In addition, we can force the installation by entering Help> Google Chrome Information so that it searches, download and install the new versions automatically.
Also, if we are not using Google Chrome yet, we can download the new version directly from its website .
