Google Chrome’s latest update has introduced warnings for uBlock Origin users, urging them to switch to alternative ad blockers. This change comes in anticipation of the impending shutdown of Manifest v2 extensions. The original uBlock Origin extension uses the Manifest v2 format, and no full-featured version exists for Manifest v3. Only uBlock Origin Lite, with limited capabilities, supports the new format, as explained by developer Raymond Hill.
Timeline and Impact
After updating to Chrome 127, users will see a warning banner on the browser’s extensions page for all Manifest v2 extensions. Chrome Beta, Dev, and Canary preview versions will display these warnings starting June 3, 2024. In the coming months, Google plans to disable Manifest v2 support by default, temporarily leaving an option to enable it manually before removing it entirely.
Users of legacy extensions will be directed to the Chrome Web Store for alternatives such as uBlock Origin Lite, Adblock Plus, Stands AdBlocker, or Ghostery. The transition for consumer Chrome Stable users is expected to be complete by early 2025, adds NIXsolutions. We’ll keep you updated on any changes to this timeline.
Enterprise Users and Manifest v3
Enterprise Chrome users with the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy deployed will have extended support for Manifest v2 extensions on Linux, Mac, Windows, and ChromeOS until June 2025. Google introduced Manifest v3 with the release of Chrome 88 in December 2020. This new standard has posed significant technical challenges for extension developers, particularly those requiring broad control over browser features.