Google is working on Chrome updates that don’t require restarts

Google is working on a way to apply Chrome updates without requiring you to restart your browser. In a post on Thursday, Google outlines its approach to bug fixes in the age of AI, while noting that it’s trying to make updates less disruptive by “investing in ‘dynamic patching’ that will eliminate the need for a full browser restart.”

According to Google, AI-powered security tools have already helped the company find and fix dozens of bugs. Chrome 149 and 150, for example, contained 1,072 bug fixes, exceeding the number of patches in the past 23 major releases combined. That’s part of the reason why Chrome is switching to a two-week release cycle starting in September with security updates in between. However, Google says it’s considering introducing two weekly security updates to counter “fast-moving AI-powered attacks.”

To make these updates go more smoothly, Google is trying to “shift the burden away” from users, who could be at risk of “N-day” attacks, which occur when hackers exploit newly released bug fixes that haven’t yet been downloaded on a user’s device.

Along with working on dynamic patching, Google is also trying to find “opportune moments to restart automatically, when we can guarantee a seamless session restore.” Google has already launched a version of this in Chrome 150 on macOS, as the browser takes advantage of a state “where applications typically continue running in the background even after all windows are closed.” Chrome will automatically restart if it detects an update in this windowless state, Google says.

“Our long-term vision is a browser that is always up-to-date — continuously and dynamically patched, and automatically restarted during opportune periods of minimal disruption,” Google writes.