Google_Chrome_Material_Icon-450x450
Google this week began rolling out the latest update to its desktop Chrome web browser ahead of schedule, with Chrome 55 fixing multiple security vulnerabilities and defaulting to HTML5 on the majority of websites.

Google Chrome has been phasing out Flash support since September, when version 53 of the browser started blocking Flash-based page analytics and background elements. Version 54 brought a YouTube code rewrite that forced YouTube Flash players to switch to HTML5.

Chrome 55 brings the most visible move away from Flash by defaulting to HTML5 across the board. Users are now prompted to enable Flash when they visit sites that still use it, exempting 10 of the most popular sites on the web, including Facebook and Amazon.

Chrome 55.0.2883.75 for Mac contains a number of other fixes and improvements, including 26 patches identified by external researchers as part of Google's bug bounty program, and another 10 security fixes implemented by Google itself. The addition of CSS automatic hyphenation means Chrome can now hyphenate words when line-wrapping, which improves the visual appearance of text blocks.

Chrome 55 should be available to download for most Mac users now. Existing users can update by selecting Chrome -> Preferences via the menu bar and clicking the About section. Users downloading Chrome for the first time will automatically receive the updated version from the Chrome download page. An update for the iOS browser app is expected soon.

Tag: Chrome

Top Rated Comments

philosopherdog Avatar
philosopherdog
118 months ago
Remember how loud they all screamed when Jobs announced no flash support on iOS? At the time flash was absolutely everywhere. Thanx Steve!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
thisisnotmyname
118 months ago
My only complaint about phasing out Flash is that it is disabling my easy method of killing all auto-play videos. The more people and software move away from Flash the more sites move to HTML video that browser manufacturers seem incapable of actually blocking. Otherwise everything about killing Flash is good and necessary.

Yes, I know Chrome has had Flash baked in but I removed Flash from my systems otherwise.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mic j Avatar
mic j
118 months ago
Why do people use Chrome? Safari does a great job and syncs well across all devices. What does Chrome do so well that Safari doesn't?
I have deleted Flash from my system and that is fine most of the time. I usually use Safari, but occasionally I run across something that I want to see that requires Flash. For that I use Chrome with it's built-in Flash.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nvmls Avatar
nvmls
118 months ago
Why do people use Chrome? Safari does a great job and syncs well across all devices. What does Chrome do so well that Safari doesn't?
-Favicon on tabs
-Professional dev tools (safari's inspector performs poorly & lags)
-Responsive mode is buggy on Safari, not always works.
-WebRTC
-Proper horizontal tab management (bugged in Safari since v9)
-502 score on HTML5test.com vs 380 Safari (tech preview is catching up though but at the expense of breaking something each release)
-No need for pinned tab icons, which are a pain to add and test, need to clear icon folder cache and restart browser to display changes every time.
-No delays when searching through the URL bar.
-Appearance customization (themes).
-Doesn't crash as much.
-Abysmal difference on media playback, not just youtube.

I would very much love to stick with Safari, but Apple's focus is towards emoji support and none of the above.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
Chupa Chupa
118 months ago
I just wish more web sites would depreciate Flash. Still too prevalent in sites. Especially eCommerce sites which I just find a different vendor.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pcmacgamer Avatar
pcmacgamer
118 months ago
Don't use chrome very often but I fully support Google trying to stop unnecessary flash use.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Read Full Article • 76 comments
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Read Full Article • 41 comments
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Read Full Article • 42 comments
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 53 comments
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Read Full Article • 30 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Read Full Article • 63 comments
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Read Full Article • 80 comments
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
Read Full Article • 67 comments
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...
Read Full Article • 171 comments