Petteri Pyyny
5 Mar 2026 12:16
Google is changing the release timetable of the world's most popular web browser, Chrome.
Until now, new so-called stable versions of Chrome – and of the open-source browser engine behind it, Chromium – intended for regular users have been released every four weeks. But starting on September 8, 2026, the pace will accelerate and a new stable version of Chrome will be released every two weeks.
According to Google, the faster release cycle will allow new features to reach developers and end users more quickly. Security updates for Chrome will continue to be released weekly, as they are now.
The accelerating release cycle is of course somewhat problematic particularly from the perspective of enterprise users, where software updates are often restricted in order to ensure their real stability. For Chrome enterprise users, the so-called extended stable release channel will continue to follow an eight-week cycle.
The new release schedule applies to both desktop versions of Chrome and to the browser's iOS and Android versions. Beta versions of the browser will always be released three weeks before the corresponding stable version.
The change will naturally affect almost all other browsers used around the world as well, since among the major browsers only Safari and Firefox are truly independent – nearly all other widely used browsers are based on the Chromium project that powers Chrome.