Google puts Chrome updates on the fast track with its newest release

Keeping Chrome updated is about to become a more regular part of your routine. Earlier this year, Google announced that it would double the frequency of stable Chrome releases, promising faster access to new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. That plan is no longer waiting in the wings.

Google has now launched Chrome 153 across desktop, Android, and iOS, officially moving the browser from a four-week release cycle to a two-week schedule. As a result, users can expect smaller Chrome updates twice as often, with new features and important fixes reaching their devices sooner.

Chrome’s release schedule has steadily accelerated over the years. Google adopted a six-week cycle in 2010, then cut it to four weeks in 2021. In March, Google revealed that Chrome 153 would mark the browser’s next major scheduling shift — and it arrived right on time.

The faster cadence should carry benefits beyond getting new features a couple of weeks earlier. Google says shorter release cycles will help reduce the gap between a security fix becoming publicly visible in Chrome’s code and that patch reaching users. That could become increasingly important as automated vulnerability-discovery tools and community reports produce more fixes for Google to manage.

More frequent updates should also make troublesome changes easier to identify. Since each release will contain fewer additions, Google and developers can more quickly isolate the cause when something breaks.

Businesses that cannot keep up with updates every two weeks still have another option. Chrome’s Extended Stable channel will continue delivering major feature releases every eight weeks, while receiving security fixes on the usual weekly schedule. Google nevertheless recommends the two-week Stable channel for most enterprise users, calling it the more secure choice.

Chrome 153 is rolling out now, but Google is already looking ahead. Chrome 154 has entered beta testing and is scheduled to reach the stable channel on September 22. In other words, the next major Chrome update is now only two weeks away.