What you need to know
- Google detailed a few updates for Chrome on Android, beginning with a massive Safety Check patch that brings password scanning for security risks.
- Chrome will let users grant websites one-time permissions and after leaving the browser will automatically remove them to preserve your security.
- Pixel users are set to receive a website notification "unsubscribe" button, which will "soon" hit more Android phones.
- Chrome on desktop picked up a major Safety Check update earlier this year, which included "personalized" recommendations.
Google is closing out the week with a few key Google Chrome updates that aim to boost your privacy when surfing the web.
Google is preparing to roll out three updates for Chrome on Android, beginning with an "improved" Safety Check. According to a blog post, the company states this upgraded safety feature now runs "automatically" in the background in Chrome. Safety Check will protect users against "abusive" notifications from websites Chrome's Safe Browsing deems malicious or false.
As an extra precaution, the feature will automatically remove permission from sites you haven't visited in a while.
Google adds that Safety Check picks up diagnostic checks for your software to ensure you're running the latest version. Similarly, the security function can look over your passwords to weed out any possible security issues. The updated Safety Check page will offer a "Safety at a glance" section. From there, users can see which permissions the browser has removed, software status, and other crucial online security information.
Those using Chrome on desktop can receive security notifications about any installed extensions. Google states if Safety Check finds one that could threaten your online privacy it will advise you and surface its details page with a button to quickly remove it. Of course, this smaller update will join the major patch Google dropped for desktop users earlier this year.
Granting permissions bears weight on Android, which is why Google is rolling out a one-time action for websites. The post states users can select which aspects of their device a website has access to (mic/camera) while they're there instead of permanently. Closing the tab/window will see Chrome removing access to those sensitive permissions until you grant them again.
Notifications, especially unwanted ones, are getting handled through an update for Pixel phones first. Google details a new "unsubscribe" button, which will appear on a site's notification pop-up. Once tapped, the notification will inform users that they will no longer receive notifications from whatever website they opted out of.
Google states this feature has yielded positive results in the fight against unwanted website notifications. With Pixel users getting this first, the post states more Android devices will get it "soon." Unfortunately, Google hasn't said which devices users can expect this one yet, so it's best to keep updating Chrome while we wait.
