Google Chrome was one of the first mainstream software projects to establish fast and regular updates, with a new version coming about every six weeks. This helped start an industry shift that is still ongoing today, but now Google is about kick Chrome's release schedule into high gear.

"As we have improved our testing and release processes for Chrome," Google wrote in a blog post, "and deployed bi-weekly security updates to improve our patch gap, it became clear that we could shorten our release cycle and deliver new features more quickly. Because of this, we are excited to announce that Chrome is planning to move to releasing a new milestone every 4 weeks, starting with Chrome 94 in Q3 of 2021."

Google is also introducing an Extended Stable option, which will be updated every 8 weeks. The version will be available to enterprise administrators and "Chromium embedders" (read: Electron apps and browsers based on Chrome), and even though major updates will happen at half the frequency of regular Chrome, it will receive critical security updates every two weeks. This is similar to Firefox Extended Support releases, which go several months between major updates, but still receive important security fixes around the same time as the regular Firefox browser.

The move could also significantly impact how Chrome OS works, though details on that are light at the moment. Google confirmed that it plans to "support multiple stable release options," primarily for administrators deploying Chromebooks in schools and businesses. More information about that is expected "in the coming months."

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Source: Chromium Blog