As per Google’s announcement, it addresses a total of 14 security fixes out of which 3 are of high importance, and none are critical. Moreover, it also addresses 188 bugs discovered in the browser. This update includes some new features which include HEVC hardware decoding on the supported devices, switching focus across different tabs during screen sharing, and more. These features are discussed in detail below.
Release Summary
Complete Release Build: 107.0.5304.63Release Date: Tuesday, October 25th, 2022Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android.Previous Build: Chrome 106.0.5249.62Security Fixes: 14. More information about security fixes can be found here.Bug Fixes: 188. More information about bug fixes can be found here.
Improvements in Chrome 107
HEVC Hardware Decoding
Chrome 107 enables the support for HEVC decoding, also known as H.265, on the devices that support this codec. This will supposedly improve the overall performance of video encapsulation and hence, rendering.
Release Summary Improvements in Chrome 107 HEVC Hardware Decoding Single Button to Switch Tabs User-Agent Reduction Improvements for Developers Update to Chrome 107 Download Google Chrome 107 Install Google Chrome 107
The feature is available on all platforms that offer hardware decodings, such as Android 5 and higher, macOS 11 and higher, and select devices on ChromeOS and Windows operating systems.
Single Button to Switch Tabs
Chrome 107 now has the capability to add a single button to allow you to select a tab to share inside video conferencing apps and software, like Microsoft Teams. Moreover, you can now also see a list of screens that you want to share which includes the recently-shared tabs, or often-used screens. The Chrome browser will now also warn you when you accidentally share the tab you’re videoconferencing in, creating a “hall of mirrors” effect.
User-Agent Reduction
User-Agent Strings contain the version numbers of the browser you are using, which are sent to the HTTP headers. Since Chrome’s version number had reached 3 digits with Chrome 100, these strings now disclosed more information about the user and their activity, allowing websites to create entire end-user profiles. Due to this security vulnerability, Google replaced the unrestricted User-Agent String with “User-Agent Client Hints API.” Chrome 107 begins “Phase 5” of the implementation process for Google where the following is now taking place: These are the significant changes in Chrome 107. To read more about these changes, refer to ChromeStatus’s milestone website.
Improvements for Developers
Several improvements have been introduced in Chrome 107 for the developers:
New properties in Screen Capture API The Screen Capture API adds new properties to improve the screen-sharing experiences. Identify render-blocking resources The Performance API now includes the “renderBlockingStatus” property which provides a direct signal from the browser that identifies the resources that prevent your page from displaying, until they are downloaded. PendingBeacon API origin trial The declarative PendingBeacon API lets the browser control when beacons are sent. This API delegates the sending to the browser itself, so it can support beacons on “page unload” or on “page hide,” without the developer having to implement send calls at exactly the right times.
Some other improvements are also included in this Chrome release. To read more about them, refer to this post for Chrome developers. The Screen Capture API adds new properties to improve the screen-sharing experiences. The Performance API now includes the “renderBlockingStatus” property which provides a direct signal from the browser that identifies the resources that prevent your page from displaying, until they are downloaded. The declarative PendingBeacon API lets the browser control when beacons are sent. This API delegates the sending to the browser itself, so it can support beacons on “page unload” or on “page hide,” without the developer having to implement send calls at exactly the right times.
Update to Chrome 107
If you already have Google Chrome installed on your computer, then updating it would be easy. Follow the guide below to update your existing Chrome browser to version 107. The browser will now close and reopen. Once it does, you can navigate to the About Google Chrome page again and confirm that it has indeed been updated to version 107. Note: The browser closes when you click Relaunch and then reopens, restoring all closed tabs. There are a few different methods that can also be used to update your Chrome browser to the latest version, including:
Update using Google updateUse the downloaded Chrome installerUsing NiniteDownload Chrome without using a browser
You can learn more about these methods in this guidepost. You may also download the Chrome browser from the links given below if you do not already have it.
Download Google Chrome 107
Click on the links below to download Chrome 107: Download: Google Chrome web installer Download: Google Chrome offline installer Download: Google Chrome MSI Installer [Enterprise Edition] Download: Google Chrome for macOS Download: Google Chrome Offline Installer for Linux Download: Google Chrome for Android Download: Google Chrome for iOS Download: Google Chrome Portable
Install Google Chrome 107
Installing the Chrome browser on a Windows PC is as easy as downloading them. The process may vary for different platforms. Download the file from the links above and then double-click it to execute. The rest of the process is pretty much automatic. The setup will download the required files (if the web installer was downloaded), install them for you and the browser will launch itself as soon as it is installed successfully. The process is the same for all Windows versions.