Oct 9(ABC): Google aims to launch the new Chrome extension, Manifest V3, for the browser in January for Chrome 112 and in June for Chrome 115.
Previous V2 extensions will be unlisted from the Chrome Web Store, and by 2024, all V2 extensions will be removed.
The transition has caused quite a controversy because while Manifest V3 contains good storage, it can affect ad blockers and render them futile.
The new extension will require developers to use a “declarativeNetRequest” and compel them to use a blocklist of specific URLs. The list of rules can only include 30,000 entries, while ad-blocking lists can have 300,000 entries.
Modern ad blockers rely on Chrome’s “webRequest” API to block HTTP requests from being made, but the V3 may cause delays in loading and render times for sites.
Enterprise users can continue to use Manifest V2 extensions until January 2023, by the time they will have to switch to V3, Engadget reported.