The next editions of Google Chrome may be arriving early to some lucky users due to a new initiative from the company.
The browser will now see an "early stable" launch to a selection of users before a wider general release shortly afterwards.
Google Chrome v110 will be the first build to see such a release schedule, with a beta launch on January 12, 2023 followed by an "early stable" launch on February 1, and a hopefully-finalized "stable" launch on February 7.
Google Chrome release
In a blog post outlining the decision, Rachel Andrew, a technical writer for Google and content lead for the Chrome Developers site, noted that the change would help the company spot any potential issues with new Chrome builds before the latest version is released to its wider user base.
"By releasing stable to a small percentage of users early, we get a chance to monitor the release before it rolls out to all of our users. If any showstopping issue is discovered, it can be addressed while the impact is relatively small," she wrote, adding that "for most developers, this change will have little impact".
Google hasn't detailed exactly who the privileged early users will be, but it's likely they will be those who currently receive early experimental updates via the existing Canary channel.
Google Chrome has received several high-profile upgrades in recent weeks as the company looks to ensure its browser stays useful for customers.
This includes a new Memory Saver mode that promises to free up memory from browser tabs open in the background but not being used, which the company claims will make browsing the active tab more smooth.
There’s also a new Energy Saver mode that will detect when a device’s battery level reaches 20%, at which point background activity and visual effects like animations and videos will be limited, helping to eke out as many extra minutes as possible.
The company has also teamed up with great rivals Apple and Mozilla to deliver an improved web browser benchmark tool, with Speedometer 3 designed to measure responsiveness by simulating user interactions on demonstrator web applications.
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