Andy Walker / Android Authority
- uBlock Origin 1.74 is its last stable release for Chrome, with the Chrome Web Store set to remove the extension on August 31.
- Google has closed the loopholes that kept Manifest V2 extensions running, paving the way for uBlock Origin’s removal from Chrome.
- You can still block ads in Chrome, but the experience won’t be quite the same as what uBlock Origin offered under Manifest V2.
For many Chrome users, uBlock Origin (uBO) has long been one of those essential browser extensions, quietly sitting in the toolbar and blocking ads without much fuss. But Google’s long-running Manifest V2 crackdown has steadily changed that, and the uBlock Origin team has now confirmed that the extension’s run on Chrome will end on August 31.
The uBlock Origin team has released version 1.74, and it comes with a rather significant footnote: this is the last stable uBO version to be available on the Chrome Web Store. The team says the Chrome Web Store will remove uBO on August 31, meaning Chrome users have only days before the extension is officially shown the door. That process may already be underway, as the Chrome Web Store currently shows only the uBlock Origin Lite extension when searching for it in Chrome.
The release itself isn’t particularly dramatic. Version 1.74 includes several fixes and improvements, including changes to scriptlets, cookie handling, content filtering, and compatibility. But those changes aren’t really the story here. The important part is what comes after this release.
The latest development caps months of Google’s Manifest V2 transition. Chrome has been steadily removing the workarounds that allowed Manifest V2 extensions to survive, while Google’s move to Manifest V3 has made traditional ad blocking more restrictive. Still, ad blocking in Chrome isn’t dead; it just doesn’t work as before.
Chrome developer Devlin Cronin cited (via Gerrit) the complexity of maintaining the older platform, accumulated technical debt, security concerns, and MV2 bugs as the reasons for discontinuing support. However, what happens to uBlock Origin after version 1.74 remains slightly unclear. The team calls this the last stable version, rather than simply the final version.
Firefox users aren’t facing the same immediate problem. uBO 1.74 is already available through Mozilla’s add-on store, while Edge and Opera are still reviewing their submissions. Brave has also moved to self-hosting uBO.
For Chrome, however, the clock is now ticking. August 31 marks the end of an era for one of the browser’s most popular ad-blocking extensions.
Source: www.androidauthority.com
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