You can get a lot done with Google Chrome, which is probably why it outnumbers competing browsers like Edge, Firefox, and Safari in terms of usage. From cross-platform syncing to quiet updates, ease of use is a major selling point.
Those updates are mostly automatic; you don’t have to do much more than open and close the browser window. There are, however, some exceptions. Here’s how you can make sure Google is doing its job.
Chrome’s Release Schedule
For upcoming versions of Chrome, Google has a publicly available schedule with estimated key dates and official release dates. These versions also include updates to the browser’s Android, Chrome OS, desktop, and iOS versions.
Every one to two months, a new release is added to the schedule. Chrome 89, for example, was released in March 2021, with Chrome 90 following in April and Chrome 91 following in late May. Chrome 92 is scheduled to be released at the end of July, with Chrome 93 following at the end of August.
When new updates become available, Chrome will automatically apply them the next time you open your browser window. Because there are so many users, it can take anywhere from a few days to a week for everyone to receive the most recent version. However, if you do not close your browser between sessions, you will not receive an update. You can also manually trigger an update in this case to ensure you’re on the most recent version.
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Update Chrome on Desktop
When Chrome needs to be updated, an update icon will appear in the top-right corner of the browser. If you don’t restart Chrome, that icon will eventually turn yellow, then red, indicating that your instance is out of date.
If you need to update Google Chrome, go to the right-hand corner icon and select Update Google Chrome. After that, Chrome will shut down and restart with the update installed.
Which Version of Chrome Am I On?
If no alert appears, but you want to know which version of Chrome you’re using, go to Help > About Google Chrome by clicking the three-dot icon in the top-right corner. Open the three-dot menu on your phone and go to Settings > About Chrome (Android) or Settings > Google Chrome (iOS) (iOS).
Chrome displays the version you’re using, which in my case is 90.0.4430.212 (Official Build) (64-bit). This page will also notify you of any pending updates and allow you to install them by pressing the Relaunch button.
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Update on iPhone
Most iPhone users have their apps set to update automatically. To check if this setting is active, go to Settings > App Store > App Updates and turn it on (or off).
To manually check, go to the App Store and look for the Chrome app. The app is up to date if the button next to it says “Open.” Tap “Update” if it says so to get the most recent version.
Alternatively, go to the App Store app’s Today section, tap your profile icon in the upper right, and scroll down to see if Chrome is listed under Available/Upcoming updates. If that’s the case, tap Update.
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Update on Android
By default, Android apps are updated automatically. Within the Google Play app, you can see if this feature is enabled for you. Choose the network requirements for automatic updates or turn them off completely by clicking your profile icon and tapping Settings > General > Auto-update apps.
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Then, in Google Play, go to My apps & games and manually update Chrome. Tap the update button next to the Google Chrome icon if it appears in the list of pending updates. The Chrome app is already up to date if it is not on the list.
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