The latest beta edition of Google Chrome (Beta 104) offered a preview of a number of useful changes coming to the popular web browser.
The updates will be available on Android, Chrome OS, Linux, macOS and Windows devices, with Chrome for iOS notably running a slightly different version.
Headlining the list of updates for version 104, available since the start of this week, is Region Capture. Browser-based video conferencing has long been supported in Chrome, but screen sharing has sometimes resulted in the so-called “gallery of mirrors effect”.
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In its latest form, Chrome’s region capture can now crop a video track and remove content — such as the live video feed of other members of the call — before sharing it remotely. This means no more annoying video sharing from participants when using video conferencing suites like Google Meet.
Other changes in Chrome 104
Media queries, an important part of responsiveness in the design of most web pages, have also been updated with new features. Developers can now use ordinary mathematical comparison operators, as well as logical “or” and “not” operators, when creating a page.
On top of that, cookies set with an explicit ‘Expires’ or ‘Max-Age’ attribute are now capped at 400 days, which Google says is a chosen number due to its roundness and proximity to 13 months. , a little over a year. Previously uncapped, this will ensure that sites visited approximately once a year will continue to operate as intended.
Other changes include allowing sites to place fullscreen and popup content on separate secondary screens; changes to permissions for the Bluetooth Web API; and improved color canvas support for WebGL, which now includes “display-p3”.
Additionally, changes have been made to Origin Trials. Set to be on trial until Chrome version 106, the browser’s secure payment confirmation tool now allows users to opt out of storing their credit and debit card details.
Also being tested is the “Focusgroup” CSS property, a handy web development tool that is configured to add more consistent focused navigation without the need for custom solutions.
The list of updates is rounded out with a number of service retirements, including the removal of the U2F (Universal 2nd Factor) API, which has now been replaced by the Web Authentication API.
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