Google releases Chrome 90 and makes https default

Google has rolled out version 90 of the Chrome browser. Starting with this version, Chrome will try to establish an https connection with every website by default. In addition, Google is adding an encoder for the av1 codec and has fixed 37 vulnerabilities with this update.

The development team behind the browser has chosen to use https as standard from version 90 instead of the old http protocol. Any user can still manually activate the http protocol by typing a web address containing http. The team also reportedly fixed 37 vulnerabilities, of which it had identified six vulnerabilities as high risk.

Version 90 of Chrome also introduces an av1 encoder. This encoder makes it possible for Chrome to encode outgoing video streams with the av1 codec. One of the applications that Google is aiming for is video calling and screen sharing. Both applications will be able to use the av1 codec via Chrome and then run more efficiently. Since the end of 2017, Chrome has already included a decoder that allowed the playback of av1 content. This was enabled by default in Chrome 70.

The av1 codec was developed in 2015 by the Alliance for Open Media, a non-profit consortium made up of Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Mozilla, Cisco, Intel and Amazon to develop alternatives to the standard codecs such as mpeg4 encoding that often require royalties. getting paid. That is not the case with the av1 codec.

Netflix started implementing the av1 codec in its service last year. According to the American streaming service Netflix, av1 is twenty percent more efficient compared to the vp9 codec. Google states that the codec is more than thirty percent more efficient compared to vp9.

The update will be available for Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android in the coming days, according to Google. The update for iOS devices will follow later.

Update, 10:15 PM: Article adapted and supplemented based on Balance’s response.