Google to auto-migrate some users to 64-bit Chrome
Google has announced plans to automatically upgrade the version of Chrome that some Windows users are running, in a bid to improve stability, performance, and security.
In a blog post on Tuesday, the search engine giant explained that Chrome users running 64-bit Windows with 4GB or more of memory will be automatically migrated to the 64-bit version of Chrome if they are running the 32-bit version.
Security
The auto-migration will only apply to users who have auto-update enabled.
However, should users wish to drop back to the 32-bit version, Google said it will still be available via the Chrome download page.
The auto-migration is happening as part of a Stable Channel desktop update that Chrome kicked off for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is expected that the rollout of version 58.0.3029.96 will be complete over the coming weeks.
As explained in the blog post, the Stable Channel update is the result of a security fix that was contributed to Google by external researchers.
According to NetMarketShare, Chrome is used by over 1 billion people, and for the month of April, the Google browser boasted a 59 percent share globally,
Chrome's closest competitor is Internet Explorer, which held an 18.4 percent share of the market in April, compared to the 31.65 percent it represented in June 2016.
Firefox held 11.8 percent of the market as of last month; Microsoft Edge held 5.6 percent; and the native Mac browser Safari boasts only 3.4 percent.
Google announced last week that it is giving web developers six months to prepare for phase two of its plan to mark all HTTP pages as "not secure".
The search engine giant began labelling some pages in HTTP as non-secure in January, which aligned with the release of Chrome 56. This phase affected pages that transmit sensitive information, such as login and payment card data.
The not-secure label indicated that data is being exchanged on an unencrypted connection.
Beginning in October, Chrome will label HTTP pages as insecure if users can input any data, which will apply to any page with a search box.
The second phase of HTTP shaming is slated for October 24, which will run in parallel with the stable release of Chrome 62.