Google releases mysterious update for Google Chrome 106

Google announced on Wednesday that it has released updates for the company's Google Chrome web browser. The updates for Chrome Stable and Chrome Extended Stable are already available.

What makes the update rather mysterious is that Google provides little information on the nature of the updates. The official Chrome Releases blog posts reveal no information on the nature of the updates.

In fact, the only information that is provided is that the version of Chrome is updated to 106.0.5249.103 on the Stable and the Extended Stable channel.

Users who click on the "log" link that Google provides may parse the official Chromium changelog to find out more about the updates. The parsing returns confirmation that Google fixed a potential deadlock issue in CacheStorageManager and corrected an issue in AT actions API, which could cause "serious regressions with JAWS".

JAWS, which stands for Job Access With Speech, is a screen reader "developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with the mouse".

It is unclear if the listed issues are the only ones fixed in the new Chrome release. Google does not report security issues that it discovers internally in the release notes or in the Chromium log, to prevent misuse by bad actors. It is possible that the company fixed security issues in Chrome found by internal teams.

Either way, it is recommended that Chrome users update the browser as soon as possible to avoid the deadlock issue. The best way to do so is to load chrome://settings/help in the browser's address bar. Alternatively, selecting Menu > Help > About Google Chrome displays the current version and runs a check for updates. Any update that Chrome finds is downloaded and installed automatically at this point.

The update is the third for Chrome Stable and Extended Stable that Google released recently. Both the update to Chrome 106 and the point update that followed afterward were security related.

Closing Words

Google is tight lipped when it comes to Chromium and Chrome updates. Some say that this is by design, others that the company is indifferent.

Now You: what is your take? Should Google provide more details in release notes?

Google releases mysterious update for Google Chrome 106

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