If we want to publish an application in the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store or in the Microsoft application store, we must meet all the established requirements, without skipping any since, otherwise, it does not pass the corresponding filter. The same thing happens with browser extensions.
Chrome browser extensions use Manifest V2 to know what they can and cannot do, that is, what functions they can and cannot do. You can also use Manifest V3, an updated version of the code of conduct that all extensions that want to be available in the Chrome Web Store must follow.
However, as Google product manager David Li has announced, starting in June 2024, all extensions that are based on the Manifest V2 guidelines will stop working in Chrome and, obviously, in all Chromium-based browsers such as Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi and others, since it is the base they use.
This measure initially affects users who are not part of an organization who have one more year to extend the compatibility of the custom extensions they use, specifically until June 2025.
It seems that Google has grown tired of its extension store, no matter how much it says it supervises the content that is published, being a place where any developer can publish their extension, bypassing the established guidelines, which is why it has become tougher.
What type of extensions will be affected?
The extensions that will be most affected by the entry into operation of Manifest V3, leaving aside version 2, are those that block pop-up windows, popups and that, in general, are the most annoying of all, such as cookie messages. Some developers are working to update their extensions to the new version, however, the number of options they can add will be much smaller. If we want to continue using this type of extensions, we will be forced to change our browser to any other that is not based on Chromium.
The number of options available on the market that are not based on Chromium and that are updated periodically like those based on Chromium is Firefox, which states that it will continue to offer support for extensions that use Manifest V2, so that users can continue using the same ones. usual extensions without having to look for less functional alternatives.
Starting in June 2024, all extensions available in the Chrome Web Store that are based on Manifest V2 will no longer work and will be de-Featured until they are updated to Manifest V3. Google does not want to completely eliminate them from its extension store, and gives developers the possibility of updating without having to start completely from scratch in the Chrome Web Store.
Is it the end of extensions?
Let’s hope not, although, if many are affected by this change, and basic functions that motivated its use by users are eliminated, the developer community may lose interest in Chrome and focus its efforts on other browsers such as Firefox, that if they are going to maintain support for extensions based on Manifest V2 and that could end up affecting the market share of Chrome, which is currently the most used browser in the world and is found on almost 3 out of every 4 computers.
