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Google’s latest Chrome Web browser Version 34 is now rolling out to users, as well as a new ChromeOS Version 34 for all Chrome devices, as the company continues its regularly scheduled updates for its Chrome line of browsers and related applications.
The latest stable channel update of the Chrome browser, Version 34, was announced by Daniel Xie of the Google Chrome team in an April 8 post on the Google Chrome Releases Blog. The new version, officially known as Chrome 34.0.1847.116, is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, according to Xie.
The new version includes bug fixes and improvements, such as easier importing of supervised users onto new computers, several new apps and extension APIs, a different look for the Windows 8 Metro mode and many changes to improve stability and performance, he wrote. Version 34 also has 31 security fixes, including at least nine that are high priority and three that are medium priority.
The latest Chrome 34 also now includes the ability to remember and fill password fields even when the autocomplete function is turned off, wrote Xie, to “[encourage] the use of the Chrome password manager so users can have more complex passwords.”
Also released is the latest Stable Version 34 of ChromeOS for all Chrome devices, Matthew Yuan of the Google Chrome team wrote in a separate April 8 post on the Google Chrome Releases Blog. The new version, which is known officially as Version 34.0.1847.118, includes bug fixes, security updates and feature enhancements, wrote Yuan. Chrome devices will be receiving the update automatically. Among the fixes and features are a new “side dock,” which allows users to dock small windows and panels to screen edges, and a default “on” status for Google Drive offline backup after a user’s first log-in, he wrote.
The new versions of Chrome and ChromeOS follow the March release of the previous Version 33 releases of each of those products, according to an eWEEK report.
Chrome for Android has also received an update to Version 34, giving Android devices the latest edition of their customized browser, Jason Kersey of the Google Chrome team wrote in an April 2 post on the Google Chrome Releases Blog. Chrome 34 for Android, which is officially known as Version 34.0.1847.114, is being distributed through Google Play and contains crash fixes and performance improvements, including battery usage optimizations, wrote Kersey.
Also being rolled out by Google is an update for its Chromecast TV dongle devices, wrote Roshan Baliga of the Google Chromecast team in an April 8 post on the Google Chrome Releases Blog. The Build 16664 update includes bug fixes and stability improvements, as well as the new ability for the Chromecast audio volume level to be retained across sessions, wrote Baliga. It also includes improved IPv6 support and improved Domain Name System (DNS) robustness, he wrote.
As part of the promotion of the Chrome browser and ChromeOS to their new versions, Google has also moved up their developer and beta versions of the products so that development can continue on future versions of the products.
The latest dev channel version of the Chrome browser is now listed as Version 35.0.1916.27 for Windows, Mac and Linux, according to Google, while the latest beta channel version is now listed as Version 34.0.1847.116 for Windows, Mac and Linux.
The latest dev channel updated for ChromeOS is now listed as Version 35.0.1916.6 for all Chrome OS devices.
In September 2013, the Chrome browser celebrated its fifth birthday. Launched in 2008 as a desktop or laptop application, Chrome today is widely used as a mobile Web browser on many different devices.
Chrome has had quite a ride since its birth. In June 2012, it surpassed Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the world’s most used browser for the first time, and it has added many useful features over the years to encourage even more users to adopt it.