Google resumes Chrome updates on a modified schedule
Chrome 83 will include all the features 82 was supposed to have.
Google is ready to restore some semblance of normalcy to its browser release strategy after pausing Chrome updates to adjust to the work-from-home realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is resuming releases for Chrome and Chrome OS on an altered schedule. Security fixes and other crucial patches will come back to Stable releases next week, with Chrome 81 arriving the week of April 7th. Google is still skipping Chrome 82, but Chrome 83 is now due to arrive three weeks earlier than planned, in mid-May -- it'll include all the work from version 82.
The team isn't yet ready to commit to a schedule for Chrome 84, instead promising a "future update" on the release. Version 83 is moving to the Dev channel this week.
This is good news if you were concerned that Google might have to hold off on important fixes or let Chrome's features languish. At the same time, it's clear that it may take a while for a vaguely familiar schedule to resume no matter how quickly Google can resume business as usual.
