Developer Briefing — March 18, 2020
Google paused upcoming Chrome and Chrome OS releases due to COVID-19 staffing changes, delaying feature rollouts and security updates to stabilize enterprise deployments.
Executive briefing: On , Google announced a temporary pause of Chrome and Chrome OS releases because of adjusted work schedules during the COVID-19 outbreak. Stable updates for versions after Chrome 80 were deferred, with security fixes prioritized through incremental updates.
Why it matters: Enterprise rollout plans and web platform changes tied to Chrome’s version cadence (e.g., SameSite cookie enforcement, TLS deprecations) were delayed. Administrators needed to adjust testing and policy timelines while monitoring for out-of-band security fixes.
- Adjust web deadlines: Revisit timelines for Chrome-dependent features such as SameSite-by-default cookies and planned TLS 1.0/1.1 removal.
- Monitor security patches: Track incremental stable updates Google continues to ship for security issues despite the feature pause.
- Coordinate with Edge: Align Windows fleet policies knowing Microsoft Edge (Chromium) synchronized its release pause with Chrome.
- Communicate to developers: Inform product teams about deferred feature rollouts so they can reset testing and launch plans.
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