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
105 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
105 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
105 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
105 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
105 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
105 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

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
Read Full Article • 57 comments
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Versions of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

Monday December 9, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...
Read Full Article • 93 comments
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb 3

iPhone SE 4 Said to Feature 48MP Rear Lens, 12MP TrueDepth Camera

Monday December 9, 2024 4:48 am PST by
Apple's forthcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a single 48-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front, according to details revealed in a new Korean supply chain report. ET News reports that Korea-based LG Innotek is the main supplier of the front and rear camera modules for the more budget-friendly ~$400 device, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of...
Read Full Article • 133 comments
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

MacBook Pros With OLED Displays Won't Have a Notch, Roadmap Shows

Monday December 9, 2024 7:36 am PST by
Apple plans to remove the notch from the MacBook Pro in a few years from now, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia. The roadmap shows that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2026 will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, instead of a notch. It is unclear if there would simply be a pinhole in the display, or if Apple would expand the iPhone's...
Read Full Article • 116 comments
vipps nfc tap to pay iphone

World's First Apple Pay Alternative for iPhone Launches in Norway

Monday December 9, 2024 1:28 am PST by
Norwegian payment service Vipps has become the world's first company to launch a competing tap-to-pay solution to Apple Pay on iPhone, following Apple's agreement with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties. Starting December 9, Vipps users in Norway can make contactless payments in stores using their iPhones. The service initially supports customers of SpareBank...
Read Full Article • 179 comments
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Friday December 6, 2024 4:42 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
Apple Watch Series 10 lineup 240909 feature

Apple Watch Could Get Blood Pressure Monitoring in 2025

Tuesday December 10, 2024 11:51 am PST by
Apple is ramping up work on a blood pressure monitoring feature for the Apple Watch and it could be ready as soon as 2025, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Blood pressure monitoring is a health addition that Apple has been working on for the last several years, and based on rumors, Apple wanted to debut it in 2024. The feature would not provide exact systolic and diastolic blood pressure...
Read Full Article • 68 comments
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:02 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, the second update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that was released in September. macOS Sequoia 15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Sequoia 15.2 adds Image Playground, an app that lets you create...
Read Full Article • 137 comments