In a recent report by 9to5Google, it has been revealed that Google Chrome versions 150 and 151, scheduled for release in late June and July, will no longer support older ad blockers. This move comes after Google phased out support for ad-blocking extensions built for Manifest V2 back in 2024. Users were then left with the option to either switch to newer Manifest V3 ad blockers or opt for a different browser.

With the upcoming Chrome version 151, Google is set to remove the final remnants of code related to the previous Manifest V2 extensions platform. This means that only ad blockers compatible with the Manifest V3 platform will be functional on Chrome moving forward.

Devlin Cronin, a Google developer, addressed the Chromium commit regarding the removal of references to Manifest V2. Cronin explained that support for MV2 extensions has been discontinued in all Chrome versions due to technical complexities, accumulated tech debt, and security risks. While Google will no longer maintain this functionality, other browsers may choose to support MV2 extensions if they wish.

“MV2 extensions are no longer allowed in any supported version of Chrome, and we are removing support for them and the associated functionality. We won’t be able to provide / maintain this functionality indefinitely due to the complexity and tech debt, as well as the security risks it entails (we’ve actually found a number of bugs that are specific to MV2 lately). Of course, other browsers can continue supporting these if they so desire.”