Google removes Manifest V2 extensions, including uBlock Origin, from the Chrome Web Store.
Google Chrome's extension specification, 'Manifest,' officially saw the release of '
Manifest V2 support timeline | Chrome for Developers
https://developer.chrome.google.cn/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline#aug_31st_2026_all_remaining_manifest_v2_extensions_removed_from_the_chrome_web_store
Google Has Removed Manifest V2 Extensions From the Chrome Web Store, Including uBlock Origin
https://webiterate.dev/google-removed-extensions-ublock-origin-108/
Manifest V3 deprecates the 'webRequestAPI,' which allowed extensions to evaluate all data within network requests and instruct Chrome whether to allow or block them. It also prohibits remote hosting of extension source code, shifts from constantly consuming background pages to service workers that launch only when needed, and moves the entire API to a declarative model to limit the user data extensions can handle. Google claims these changes in Manifest V3 are aimed at protecting user privacy and security, as well as improving performance. However, Manifest V3 has been criticized for significantly limiting extension performance due to reduced data exchange between extensions and websites, and less flexibility developers can give their extensions.
Despite such criticism, Google began the planned phase-out of Manifest V2 in June 2024. Users with Manifest V2 extensions now see a warning banner on their extension management page informing them that 'some of your installed (Manifest V2) extensions will soon no longer be supported.' At the same time, extensions with the 'Recommended' badge that were using Manifest V2 lost their badge.
Google begins phase-out of its extension specification 'Manifest V2' - GIGAZINE
Subsequently, in March 2025, Manifest V2 was disabled by default, although users could re-enable it to continue using the Manifest V2 extension. In July of the same year, the Manifest V2 extension was disabled for all users across all channels of Chrome, and users were no longer able to re-enable it.
Then, on August 31, 2026, it was announced that all remaining Manifest V2 extensions would be removed from the Chrome Web Store. Manifest V2 extensions installed on Chrome versions prior to 138 will remain usable, but they will not receive updates and will not be reinstallable from the Chrome Web Store after being removed from Chrome.
The impact is not limited to the Chrome browser; Chromium -based browsers, Google's open-source browser development codebase, are also affected. Users will no longer be able to search for or install these Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, even if their Chromium-based browser continues to support Manifest V2.
Ad blockers are particularly likely to be affected, with some suggesting that 'Manifest V3 might be designed to disable extensions that block ads and trackers.' The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organization that advocates for digital freedom of speech, also condemned Manifest V3, calling it 'fraudulent and coercive.'
The Electronic Frontier Foundation condemns Chrome extension's new specification 'Manifest V3' as highly harmful - GIGAZINE
Therefore, the Brave browser team, which is similarly affected because it uses extensions for Google Chrome, has announced that it will host popular Manifest V2 extensions such as the ad blockers 'AdGuard' and 'uBlock Origin,' and the advanced data communication management extensions 'uMatrix' and 'NoScript' on its own backend, making it easy for users to enable them when installing the browser. Brave stated , 'We will continue to support privacy-related Manifest V2 extensions as much as possible, and as long as we can get the cooperation of extension developers. Thanks to Brave's independence, Brave Shields will not be weakened by Google's forced removal. No matter what happens with the deprecation of the old standard and the transition to the new one, Brave will continue to provide better and more stable protection than extension modules.'
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in Software, Web Service, Posted by log1e_dh