Chrome: Manifest V2 extensions removed from Google's store
From August 31, 2026, extensions still built on the old standard can no longer be distributed through the Chrome Web Store: those who have installed them will in some cases continue to use them, but will not be able to reinstall them. A different topic from this morning's opening on the university of Singapore.
The section changes subject compared to the morning edition, dedicated to the distribution of ChatGPT Edu to students at the National University of Singapore. Here we discuss the infrastructure of the world’s most widely used browser, and a technical transition that has been underway for years and which, on August 31, 2026, reaches its final step.
As of that date, Google removes from the Chrome Web Store extensions still based on Manifest V2, the standard that for a long time defined what an add-on can do within the browser. The practical consequence is twofold. The first concerns developers: without a presence in the store, it is no longer possible to deliver updates to users for that type of extension, and this cuts off the ordinary channel through which flaws and vulnerabilities are fixed. The second concerns users: extensions already installed may in some cases continue to work, but after removal they cannot be reinstalled. Those who switch computers, or clean up their profile, lose the tool.
The company’s position is that the new standard, Manifest V3, is a more secure and performance-conscious architecture. This is the only assessment that the material available to us documents: on how extension developers judge the transition we have, at this stage, no source, and for this reason we do not report on it. What remains a fact is the closure of the update channel, which is distinct from the security of the architecture: the former is a distribution effect, the latter a technical argument made by the company.
On this news, our reconstruction currently rests on a single source, Google’s announcement on the transition to Manifest V3 as reported by Tech Startups; no independent confirmation available at the time of publication. We state this because it is not a minor detail: the actual operating time of the remaining extensions is not, given the material in our possession, verifiable with a second source.
On the same day, Google AI presented Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, a model that converts speech to text in over 85 languages. According to the company, the system eliminates filler words, handles noisy recordings and alphanumeric sequences, and can take into account the context shown on screen; offline and continuous-stream operation is stated for the Gemini app on macOS, for Gboard, for AI Studio and for the Live API. Here too there is a single source — the summary of the August 31, 2026 announcements published by The Neuron — and the figures on languages remain company statements, not measurements verified by third parties. On the same day, OpenAI released a rewrite of its desktop application, with a stated reduction of over 90% in loading times and memory used in long conversations.
The two directions coexist: the browser reduces what external components can do, while artificial intelligence features enter directly into the operating system and the keyboard. For the user, the first concrete effect has a precise date and scope: Manifest V2 extensions do not return to the store.
Sources: Tech Startups; The Neuron.
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