What does this message mean?
Google Chrome no longer supports Manifest V2 extensions. All Google Chrome extensions need to use the Manifest V3 framework to be supported on the Chrome Web Store. Manifest V3 has more limited rules that web browser extensions need to follow. Ad blocker extensions are most likely to be affected by this change.
What is Manifest?
Manifest files tell the web browser how to interact with the extension. They are required files for all web browser extensions. They contain information that explains the structure and behavior of the extensions. Manifest files have to follow certain guidelines set by the browser manufacturer (i.e. Google). As technology evolves, the guidelines change to meet new standards and security concerns. All Chrome extensions now have to follow the guidelines set out in the Manifest V3.
What is the difference between Manifest V2 & V3?
There are numerous security and efficiency changes to V3. Manifest V3 now uses service workers to perform background tasks, which helps improve efficiency. There are also numerous security improvements. Web extensions no longer have broad access to permissions or web request APIs This improves security but limits what web extensions are allowed to do.
Why are ad blockers affected by Manifest V3?
Manifest V3 replaces blocking requests from web listeners. Ad blockers generally work by monitoring API requests from the user to the website. They then have a set of rules that intercept the request and replace it with something different. Manifest V3 requires the extension to declare the rules by which the browser should respond upfront. This gives the browser control over what can be blocked rather than the extension.
Why has Google depreciated Manifest V2?
Manifest V3 improves security, privacy, and performance. The broad permissions that are allowed under Manifest V2 allow extensions to misuse user data. In recent years, Google has gotten some bad press for all the malware and spyware in the Chrome Web Store. They want to take more control over what browser extensions are allowed to do. There are also a number of changes that are designed to improve the performance of a web browser extension.
What can I do if an extension is no longer supported?
There is a couple of things you can do if an extension is no longer supported. They are as follows: Find an alternate extension. Many ad blockers and other V2 extensions have developed V3 versions of their extensions. For example, uBlock Origin is recommending you switch to uBlock Lite. AdGuard has also developed a Manifest V3 version of their extension. It should be noted that these manifest V3 versions of popular ad blockers are still in their experimental beta testing phase and may not work as well as the previous Manifest v2 versions. Switch to another web browser. If there is a particular web browser extension that you need that uses Manifest V2, you may want to consider switching to another primary web browser. Firefox still supports Manifest V2 and has stated that they currently have no plans to depreciate Manifest V2 web browser extensions. Opera has also stated that they plan to continue support for Manifest V2 extensions independently of the changes to Chromium. Brave Web Browser plans to continue support for certain V2 extensions, particularly ad blockers like uBlock Origin, AdGuard, uMatrix, and NoScript.
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