Chrome 128 Brings Updated Safety Check, More

Google shipped Chrome version 128 on desktop and mobile, and today it’s highlighting some major updates in this release, a major update to Safety Check, one-tap site notification unsubscribe, and one-time permissions.

“We’re rolling out a set of new Chrome features to better protect you from online threats and give you even more control over your personal data,” Google’s Andrew Kamau writes. “With the newest version of Chrome, you can take advantage of our upgraded Safety Check, opt out of unwanted website notifications more easily, and grant select permissions to a site for one time only.”

Here’s what’s new.

Safety Check improvements. Starting with Chrome 128, the revamped Safety Check always runs in the background to keep you safe from online threats, telling you when it takes action, revoking permissions from those sites you’ve not visited recently, warning about potentially unwanted notifications, and more. On desktop, Safety Check will also warn you about potentially unsafe browser extensions–I’m guessing uBlock Origin is on that list–and then help you uninstall them.

One-tap site notification unsubscribe. Starting on Pixel, but coming soon to other Android devices, Chrome will now display an “Unsubscribe” notification when you’re visiting websites that display notifications. Google says this feature has provided a 30 percent reduction in unwanted notifications, and that it’s “looking forward to bringing it to the broader ecosystem.”

One-time site permissions. Chrome for Android and desktop will let you optionally grant websites permissions like camera or microphone access for one time only. If you select this option, it will then revoke the permissions when you leave the site.