Google is working on a new version of Chrome for Android with extensions. This is the first time this has happened because society has never come to terms with them, but don’t jump for joy just yet, There is a trick.

Web browsers are one of the most used types of applications and extensions on the planet They are a good way to improve them in any aspect, from visual to quality of life to those that improve accessibility or productivity. In addition, they provide features that the default versions of browsers do not always have and also allow for greater customization.

Chrome (for desktop systems) has a lot of extensions in both quality and quantity, and the biggest problem is finding exactly the most useful ones. In addition, other competitors can also import them thanks to the standardization in the development of extensions, which was carried out a few years ago by the big four in the field: Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.

Chrome for Android with extensions

Google made a decision a long time ago Don’t add extension support to mobile versions of Chromeprobably to limit the number of users who install them to block ads on their Android phones, a debatable decision because this decision eliminated the possibility of installing other equally useful extensions like the ones we use in the desktop version.

And here we are. Because browser extensions are a staple of desktop web browsers, Google really has no choice but to support them on desktop operating systems like its own Chrome OS. Last June, Google announced that Chrome OS would be more Android-like in that it would use much of its technology stack. At the time, Google said that Chrome OS would start using technology like “Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks”. Since that announcement, we’ve already seen Google working on a new kernel branch as well as a common bootloader for Android, Chrome OS, and even Fuchsia.

Now Android Authority tells us that Google is also working on a new version Chrome for Android, which is aimed at “desktop” devices like Chromebooks. This suggests that Google wants to unify Chrome builds between Android and Chrome OS, with the main difference being the form factor that a particular version is available for. This new version of Chrome for Android, currently known as Android desktopit also gains support for browser extensions to make it functionally equivalent to existing versions of Chrome for Chrome OS. Conclusion: Chrome for Android with extensions for the first time.

And on mobile phones? Forget about it, at least for a while. An engineer who works in Android desktop he mentioned it “any work related to mobile platforms is expressly excluded”indicating that extension support is not yet planned for regular versions of Chrome for Android. We will have to continue to use alternative browsers (even if they are based on Chromium) that support them.