The Google Chrome 76 update is out and is already rolling out for Mac, Windows, and Linux users. as well as to Android. We recently saw the updated version 75 of the browser for Android users and Desktops coming with fixes, improvements, and new tools.
The new release comes with Adobe Flash blocked by default, Incognito mode detection disabled, multiple PWA improvements, and more developer features that we are going into detail briefly.
Disabled Flash
With effect from Chrome 76, if you could have enabled Flash for a website in the past, it is now confirmed that the setting won’t be remembered at all. This implies that you will have to re-enable Flash for each page you visit, and precisely every other time you use Chrome.
It is evident that Google has plans to phase out Flash by 2021 having switched to a default HTML5 with version 55 back in 2016. It is from then that users have had to allow Flash to execute on a per-site basis.
If you still need to use Flash, you can still activate it by going to chrome://settings/content/flash.
Did you know? You can now make card payments on Chrome without syncing
Harder to detect Incognito Mode
Chrome 76 also includes fixes to prevent websites from detecting your Incognito Mode browsing via the FileSystem API.
In the recent past, bypassing a paywall was as easy as accessing it via Chrome Incognito Mode – because it blocks the site’s ability to read or write cookies on your devices. However, the sites would make articles unavailable if they detect your mode especially if the FileSystem API is disabled in your browser.
Now, the new Chrome update prevents the FileSystem API status from being detectable.
Automatic dark mode
The new update is also making a way for websites to use CSS code to automatically detect if the OS you are using is a dark or light theme, and switches to the layout accordingly. Basically, if you are using Chrome 76 on a dark theme on your OS, when you access Techjaja, then we could also switch to a dark theme as well, in tune with the OS.
Use your Escape Key in peace
Out of spite, some sites are fond of taking advantage of your use of the Escape key to pile up popups in Chrome, thus preventing it from working normally. In the new update, the pop-ups have been halted to let you use the Escape Key to stop a site loading, close full-screen videos and even dialog boxes.
You can find out more on what is in Chrome 76 here. Additionally, you can update to the latest version now using the built-in updater or download it directly from google.com/chrome.
