Chrome Blog
The latest news from the Google Chrome team
Clean up your hijacked settings
Friday, January 31, 2014
So, you're trying to download a free screensaver or game or something else you really want. But later you find out that game came bundled with a malicious program that's trying to hijack your browser settings.
You're not the only one
having this problem—in fact, it's an issue that’s continuing to grow at an alarming rate. You should always be in charge of your own Chrome settings. To help keep your browser settings under your control we added a
“reset browser settings” button
to Chrome’s settings page in October.
Despite this, settings hijacking remains our
number one user complaint
. To make sure the reset option reaches everyone who might need it, Chrome will be prompting Windows users whose settings appear to have been changed if they’d like to restore their browser settings back to factory default. If you’ve been affected by settings hijacking and would like to restore your settings, just click “Reset” on the prompt below when it appears.
Note that this will disable any extensions, apps and themes you have installed. If you’d like to reactivate any of your extensions after the reset, you can find and re-enable them by looking in the Chrome menu under “More tools > Extensions.” Apps are automatically re-enabled the next time you use them.
Some hijackers are especially pernicious and have left behind processes that are meant to undermine user control of settings, so you may find that you’re hijacked again after a short period of time. If that happens you can find additional help uninstalling such programs in the Chrome
help forum
—and remember even if you don’t see the prompt, you can always restore Chrome to a fresh state by clicking the reset button in your Chrome settings.
Linus Upson, Vice President of Engineering
Chrome + LEGO: You can build whatever you like
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Think back: you’ve just dumped a bin of LEGO
®
bricks onto the floor with a satisfying crash, and you have the whole day ahead of you to build whatever you want. There’s something pretty amazing about being able to piece together your ideas with just a collection of colorful bricks.
Well, we think the creative freedom of LEGO bricks shouldn’t be limited to plastic bins—which is the idea behind
Build with Chrome
, a collaboration between Chrome and the LEGO Group that brought these colorful bricks to the web using WebGL, a 3D graphics technology. It was
originally built by a team in Australia
as an experiment, and now we’re opening it up to everybody. So now you can publish your
wacky
creations to any plot of land in the world.
We’ve added a few new features to make it easier to build and explore this digital world of LEGO creations. To start, you can now sign in with a
Google+ account
to help find stuff that people in your circles have created. A new categorization system for completed Builds will help you sort and filter for specific types of structures.
To hone your engineering skills and prepare for the upcoming “
THE LEGO
®
MOVIE
™
,” you can explore the Build Academy, a series of short tutorials and challenges featuring characters and structures from the film.
If it feels more natural to use your hands—rather than a mouse—you can build your creations using a touchscreen on your phone or tablet with
Chrome for Android support for WebGL
on devices with high-end graphics capabilities.
As
big fans of LEGO
, we’re excited to see what you come up with to fill this new world. Share your creations on
Google+
and we’ll reshare the most inventive ones.
Posted by Adrian Soghoian, Product Marketing Manager and Beginning Builder
More web, more savings with Chrome for Mobile
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
More and more, we’re using our phones and tablets to discover great web content from all over the world. Today, a few new features in Chrome for Mobile make it easier for you to find and consume this content on the go.
Data compression for Android and iOS
In the U.S. alone, more than a fifth of adult smartphone users now do most of their online browsing on their mobile device.
1
Around the world, we’re seeing a similar trend towards more mobile browsing. That’s why we’ll be rolling out a new feature on Chrome for Mobile to help you reduce data usage and save money on your mobile plan. When enabled, Chrome’s
data compression and bandwidth management
can reduce data usage by up to 50% while browsing the web on Chrome for Android and iOS. This feature also enables Chrome’s
Safe Browsing
technology which helps protect you from malicious webpages.
To start saving data and turn on an even more secure browsing experience, visit “Settings” > “Bandwidth management” > “Reduce data usage.” Then simply turn the toggle to “On.” From this menu, you’ll also be able to track how much bandwidth you save each month as you browse on Chrome.
Translate for iOS
Parlez-vous français? Not to worry. We heard your requests and will be introducing
Google Translate
in Chrome for iOS in the coming days. With this update, you can now translate webpages in Chrome with the click of a button on your iPhone and iPad, just as you’re used to on Chrome for
desktop
and
Android
. To translate a page into your phone or tablet’s native language, just look for the translation bar and select “Translate.”
Application shortcuts on Android
Lastly, this upcoming release of Chrome for Android will allow you to create shortcuts to your favorite websites right from your homescreen for faster and easier access to the web. When visiting a site you’d like to save, simply select “Add to homescreen” from the toolbar menu.
Then anytime you’d like to open the saved website, just tap its icon on your homescreen.
For certain websites
, the shortcut will open in a full-screen experience and appear as a separate app in the Android app switcher.
To try out these features on your Android and iOS devices, download the latest releases of Chrome for Mobile coming soon to the
Play Store
and
App Store
. These updates will be rolling out over the next few days.
Posted by Matt Welsh, Software Engineer & Data Squasher Extraordinaire
1
Source: Pew Internet
Cell Internet Use 2013 report
.
Everyone can now track down noisy tabs
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
November’s
Chrome beta
introduced improvements to help make your browsing quieter, safer and sleeker. In the latest
Chrome release
we’re making these available to everyone:
You can now track down noisy tabs:
You can now visually scan your tabs for a speaker icon to quickly find the ones singing in the background. You’ll also be able to see which tabs are currently using your webcam or are being
cast to your TV
.
Playing audio
Using your webcam
Casting to your TV
Safe Browsing's malware warning has gotten stronger:
If you see this message in the download tray at the bottom of your screen, you can click “Dismiss” knowing that Chrome is
working to keep you safe
.
Try out
supervised users
for your family members:
You can now use a beta preview of
supervised users
to help family members who may need some guidance browsing the web. Once you create a supervised user, you can visit
chrome.com/manage
to review their browsing activity and determine site restrictions.
Chrome on Windows 8 “Metro” mode gets a new look:
Manage multiple Chrome windows and quickly get to your favorite Chrome Apps with an integrated
app launcher
. On the desktop, we’ve updated the default styling of UI elements like form controls and scrollbars to match the sleek design of the new Chrome Metro interface.
Yuri Wiitala, Software Engineer and Tenacious Tab Tracker
Hello, new year. Hello, new Chromebooks.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
In the past year, the way we use computers continued to evolve. Around the world, more than 2.4 billion laptops, tablets and smartphones were purchased — that’s over 4,500 devices per minute — and over one-third of people worldwide now have consistent access to the web, helping us work, play, learn and connect with each other.
Chromebooks were designed for this new way of computing, and their popularity over 2013 reflects these trends.
Two of the three best-selling laptops on Amazon
this holiday season and
21% of all commercial notebooks
sold through the channel were Chromebooks. Today, eight top computer manufacturers are building Chrome devices, with thousands of retail locations selling Chromebooks, and resellers like CDW are offering them to businesses, schools and governments.
Whichever Chromebook you have, Chrome OS stays fresh. New updates like the supervised users feature
beta preview
, make it easier to share Chromebooks with everyone in your family, including those who may need guidance browsing the web. Quickoffice is also now built into every Chromebook allowing you to work with Microsoft Office files offline, while Docs, Sheets and Slides all work offline as well - so you can keep working without an internet connection. In the education market, Lenovo and Dell introduced education focused Chromebooks, adding to a family of devices verified to meet Smarter Balanced and PARCC assessment requirements with software from AIR and Pearson Testnav8.
With 2014 in swing, there’s plenty more in store. Starting at the
Consumer Electronics Show
, several of our partners welcomed new additions:
Toshiba introduced
their first Chromebook, a 13.3-inch device based on the Haswell microarchitecture, balancing performance, portability and affordability.
LG Electronics introduced the first Chromebase
, a 21.5-inch All-In-One unit, combining the simplicity of Chrome OS with an elegant, integrated hardware package.
Acer announced
a moonstone white version of it’s popular Acer C720 Touchscreen Chromebook line.
As the way we use computers continues to evolve, the need for a faster, simpler and safer computer grows. With the continued support of our users and partners, we’re looking forward to an even bigger 2014.
Posted by Caesar Sengupta, VP, Product Management
Santa’s sleigh is ready for lift-off
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
(Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
)
The countdown is over. Santa and his elves have been preparing around the clock for the big day, opening up new pieces of
Santa’s Village
throughout the month. Santa’s been
skydiving
, the elves
catapulted presents
, and Santa even sent
custom voice messages
to friends and family.
The elves are now reporting that the sleigh is ready for takeoff!
Join Santa as he delivers presents around the globe. Whether you’re in Sydney or South Dakota, hop in the driver’s seat by checking out
Santa’s Dash(er) Board
. See where Santa’s been, where he’s going, and his real-time jolly status ("mmm, those cookies were delicious!”). Don’t forget to check out the photos and local info for places he visits on the route.
For the next 24 hours, tune in on your desktop, tablet, or phone to the
Santa Tracker
website. Still worried you’ll miss a minute of Santa’s big day? The developer elves have been hard at work so you can:
Stay updated on Santa’s real-time location with the
Santa Tracker app for Android
Light up your TV by
casting from the Android app
Keep tabs on Santa across the web with the
Santa Tracker Chrome extension
View the journey in 3D in the Tour Guide feature of
Google Earth
and
Google Earth mobile
And follow Google Maps on
Google+
,
Facebook
and
Twitter
to get up-to-the-minute details on Santa’s journey around the world.
With more than 300,000 kilometers to go, Santa’s got a lot of the map to cover. So set out those cookies and a glass of milk and get ready to
#tracksanta
!
Posted by Brian McClendon, Vice President, Google Maps
Conquer the Lonely Mountain in Chrome
Thursday, December 12, 2013
In “The Hobbit,” a company of Dwarves tries to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor from Smaug the Terrible, a fire-breathing Dragon. While the Dwarves’ quest is fraught with danger, your journey to Erebor is just a click away in “
A Journey Through Middle-earth
,” the Chrome Experiment
released a few weeks ago
from Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM).
You can now follow the Dwarves’ journey to
Erebor
and try to
outsmart Smaug
on your desktop, mobile phone or tablet. But it might be wise to first pay a little visit to the folks who live in nearby
Thranduil’s Hall
and
Lake-town
—locations that recently became accessible in this Chrome Experiment—just in case you need their help against the mighty Dragon.
To get ready for your journey you may want to
stop by Google Play
. There you'll find all sorts of Hobbit-related apps, games, books, music and films*. Together with the recent recording of a
Google+ Hangout
with director Peter Jackson and actors Evangeline Lilly and Richard Armitage, these can also help you get up to speed for the upcoming release in theaters of “
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
”
And for those of you more interested in web development than Dragon-slaying, check out the
second technical case study
on “A Journey Through Middle-earth” (the first one is
already available on HTML5 Rocks
). You can also watch a Hangout with
North Kingdom
, the team of designers and hackers who built it, on December 18. We'll be posting more updates for the developer community on
+Google Chrome Developers
.
Adrian Soghoian, Product Marketing Manager & a Fool of a Took
* Available content and promotions vary by country.
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