02-05-2021



Chrome version 80 release date

Updates needed for Chrome version 80. On February 4, 2020, Google will release version 80 of the Chrome™ browser. Which includes a change to the default policy for sending and receiving cross-site cookies. The current version of Chrome (version 79) included this blocking, but it was delayed to start blocking after 2 minutes meaning that. What are the newest features in Chrome version 80? ⇒ Become a channel member for exclusive features! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/ThioJoe/join. The easiest way to get Google Chrome is to go to the main Google website and search 'Google Chrome'. The Chrome download page will automatically detect which version you need (Windows, Mac, Linux, 32-Bit, 64-Bit, etc) and present you with the correct download. From there, simply follow the installation procedure.

Chrome 80 is rolling out now, and there's a ton of new stuff in it for developers!

There's support for:

  • Optional chaining in JavaScript
  • Features that have graduated from origin trial
  • And so much more.

I'm Pete LePage, let's dive in and see what's new for developers in Chrome 80!

Module workers #

Chrome Version 80

Module Workers, a new mode for web workers - with the ergonomics, and performance benefits of JavaScript modules is now available. The Worker constructor accepts a new {type: 'module'} option, which changes the way scripts are loaded and executed, to match <script type='module'>

Moving to JavaScript modules, also enables the use of dynamic import for lazy-loading code, without blocking the execution of the worker. Check out Jason's post Threading the web with module workers on web.dev for more details.

Optional chaining #

Trying to read deeply nested properties in an object can be error-prone, especially if there's a chance something might not evaluate.

Checking each value before proceeding easily turns into a deeply nested if statement, or requires a try / catch block.

Chrome

Chrome 80 adds support for a new JavaScript feature called optional chaining. With optional chaining, if one of the properties returns a null, or undefined, instead of throwing an error, the whole thing simply returns undefined.

Check out the Optional Chainging blog post on the v8 blog for all the details!

Origin trial graduations #

There are three new capabilities that graduated from Origin Trial to stable, allowing them to be used by any site, without a token.

Periodic background sync #

First up, is periodic background sync, it periodically synchronizes data in the background, so that when a user opens your installed PWA, they always have the freshest data.

Chromedriver Only Supports Chrome Version 80

Contact picker #

Next up, is the Contact Picker API, an on-demand API that allows users to select entries from their contact list and share limited details of the selected entries with a website.

It allows users to share only what they want, when they want, and makes it easier for users to reach and connect with their friends and family.

Get installed related apps #

And finally, the Get Installed Related Apps method allows your web app to check if your native app is installed on a user's device.

One of the most common uses cases is for deciding whether to promote the installation of your PWA, if your native app isn't installed. Or, you might want to disable some functionality of one app if it's provided by the other app.

New origin trials #

Content indexing API #

Version

How do you let users know about content you've cached in your PWA? There's a discovery problem here. Will they know to open your app? Or what content is available?

The Content Indexing API, is a new origin trial, that allows you to add URLs and metadata of offline-capable content, to a local index, maintained by the browser, and easily visible to the user.

To add something to the index, I need to get the service worker registration, then call index.add, and provide metadata about the content.

Once the index is populated, it's shown in a dedicated area of Chrome for Android's Downloads page. Check out Jeff's post Indexing your offline-capable pages with the Content Indexing API on web.dev for complete details.

Notification triggers #

Notifications are a critical part of many apps. But, push notifications are only as reliable as the network you're connected to. While that works in most cases, it sometimes breaks. For example, if a calendar reminder, notifying you of an important event doesn't come through because you're in airplane mode, you might miss the event.

Notification Triggers let you schedule notifications in advance, so that the operating system will deliver the notification at the right time - even if there is no network connectivity, or the device is in battery saver mode.

To schedule a notification, call showNotification on the service worker registration. In the notification options, add a showTrigger property with a TimestampTrigger. Then, when the time arrives, the browser will show the notification.

The origin trial is planned to run through Chrome 83, so check out Tom's Notification Triggers post on web.dev for complete details.

Other origin trials #

There are a few other origin trials starting in Chrome 80:

  • Web Serial
  • The ability for PWAs to register as file handlers
  • New properties for the contact picker

Check </origintrials/#/trials/active> for a complete list of features in origin trial.

Install Chrome Version 80

And more #

Of course, there's plenty more!

  • You can now link directly to text fragments on a page, by using #:~:text=something. Chrome will scroll to and highlight the first instance of that text fragment. For example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling#:~:text=New York
  • Setting display: minimal-ui on a Desktop PWA adds a back and reload button to the title bar of the installed PWA.
  • And Chrome now supports using SVG images as favicons.

Further reading #

This covers only some of the key highlights. Check the links below for additional changes in Chrome 80.

Subscribe #

Want to stay up to date with our videos, then subscribe to our Chrome Developers YouTube channel, and you'll get an email notification whenever we launch a new video.

I'm Pete LePage, and as soon as Chrome 81 is released, I'll be right here to tell you -- what's new in Chrome!

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