Google Chrome uBlock Origin and Other Unsupported Extensions May Soon Disappear
It appears that Google is currently engaged in a two-front battle. On one front, the company is aiming to eliminate ad blockers and content blockers within the YouTube ecosystem. Reports indicate that Google is working to integrate server-side ads into videos, making it significantly challenging, if not impossible, to block these ads using conventional content blockers.
On the other front, Google is pushing to phase out the use of Manifest V2 (MV2) extensions, which are no longer supported by the Chrome browser. uBlock Origin is a highly sought-after extension for many users because of its effectiveness in blocking intrusive advertisements on various platforms, including YouTube.
For those not familiar, the Manifest API governs how extensions and add-ons operate within browsers, with Manifest V3 designed to enhance the privacy, security, and performance of these extensions.
If you search for uBlock Origin on the Chrome Web Store, it does not appear among the suggested add-ons. However, if you navigate directly to the uBlock Origin page, a highlighted warning message is displayed: “This extension may soon no longer be supported because it doesn’t follow best practices for Chrome extensions.”
Currently, if uBlock Origin is installed in your Chrome browser, the extension manager issues a warning, stating, “This extension may soon no longer be supported. Remove or replace it with similar extensions from the Chrome Web Store.”
The developer of uBlock Origin has already recommended transitioning to uBlock Origin Lite, which is built on MV3 and is officially supported. Nevertheless, some users may prefer to continue using their beloved extensions, including uBlock Origin and other MV2 extensions that are not supported.
In the latest Canary channel build, it seems Google is preparing to disable the use of such add-ons entirely. This change was observed by browser enthusiast Leopeva64, who noted that the option to enable disabled MV2 extensions is now completely greyed out and non-functional.
The extension manager now gives users the choice to either remove the unsupported extensions or seek alternatives. It is important to note that this is still in a testing phase and may not be included in the final Stable version. However, Google’s intentions are becoming increasingly apparent.
As previously mentioned, the recommended browser add-on for Chrome is uBlock Origin Lite from the same developer. However, if you want to continue using the original uBlock Origin, you might try this official Windows Registry hack, which allows the usage of MV2 extensions until June 2025.
Another option available to users is to switch to Firefox, which has stated it will continue supporting MV2 extensions. Nevertheless, the situation there is not without its complications, as Mozilla has faced criticism recently for default tracking users and for its treatment of uBlock Origin Lite.
Source: Leopeva64 (X)
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