Google released Chrome 115 last month, which finally flipped the on switch for the company’s controversial replacement for third-party tracking cookies: the “Privacy Sandbox.” Chrome 116 will start rolling out today, complete with an updated permissions system and a few new APIs for web apps.
The most important change in this update might be one-time permissions, which the company was testing as far back as April. When you visit a site that asks for permission for a certain feature, like your location or microphone, you can now temporarily allow the permission with a new “Allow this time” button. Before now, you could only block the request or click allow — both of which would remain until you went back and changed the setting. The older options have been renamed to “Allow on every visit” and “Don’t allow” to be more clear.
Google says the change will help clear up confusion around browser permissions, especially because it mirrors the three-button prompt already used for many permissions prompts on Android, iPhone, and iPad. A blog post in the developer blog explains, “Chrome user research has shown that users often are not ready to make a persistent decision for website permissions, trying to assess if they get value in return for granting permissions. Offering a one-time Allow option accommodates this need and makes allowing access less risky.”
Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari already support one-time permissions, but the implementation varies based on the permission. For example, the location permission in Safari is one-time by default, and there’s a checkbox to keep the permission for 24 hours. Firefox allows location, camera, and microphone to be granted one time, also with a checkbox for persistent access. Google Chrome 116 allows one-time permissions for location, camera, and microphone, and other features “are unchanged for now, but may change in the future.” Some permissions, such as file system access, are already limited to one-time and don’t even have an option to maintain access. Google is also rolling out slowly, so even if you update to Chrome 116, you might not see it right away.
Finally, there are a few new web APIs either enabled by default or available for early testing. Web apps can now create Picture-in-Picture windows that contain anything, not just videos, and more animations can be built with pure CSS instead of JavaScript.
How to Update Google Chrome
Chrome will automatically install the update on your computer, phone, or tablet when it’s available. To immediately check for and install any available updates, click the three-dot menu icon and click Help > About Google Chrome.
Source: Chrome Developers, Chrome Platform Status
