Chrome for Android Update

  Hi, everyone! We've just released Chrome 121 (121.0.6167.143) for Android: it'll become available on Google Play over the next few days.

This release includes stability and performance improvements. You can see a full list of the changes in the Git log. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.


Android releases contain the same security fixes as their corresponding Desktop  (Windows: 121.0.6167.139/.140; Mac & Linux: 121.0.6167.139) unless otherwise noted.


Krishna Govind
Google Chrome

Stable Channel Update for ChromeOS / ChromeOS Flex

Hello All,

The Stable channel is being updated to 120.0.6099.272 (Platform version: 15662.88.0) for ChromeOS devices and will be rolled out over the next few days.

If you find new issues, please let us know one of the following ways:

Interested in switching channels? Find out how.

See the latest release notes.

- Google ChromeOS

Stable Channel Update for Desktop

The Stable channel has been updated to 121.0.6167.139 for Mac and Linux and 121.0.6167.139/140 to Windows which will roll out over the coming days/weeks. A full list of changes in this build is available in the log.


Security Fixes and Rewards



Note: Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix. We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed.


This update includes 4 security fixes. Below, we highlight fixes that were contributed by external researchers. Please see the Chrome Security Page for more information.




[$5000][1511567] High CVE-2024-1060: Use after free in Canvas. Reported by Anonymous on 2023-12-14

[$3000][1514777] High CVE-2024-1059: Use after free in WebRTC. Reported by Cassidy Kim(@cassidy6564) on 2023-12-29

[N/A][1511085] High CVE-2024-1077: Use after free in Network. Reported by Microsoft Security Research Center on 2023-12-13




We would also like to thank all security researchers that worked with us during the development cycle to prevent security bugs from ever reaching the stable channel.

As usual, our ongoing internal security work was responsible for a wide range of fixes:

[1523290] Various fixes from internal audits, fuzzing and other initiatives


Many of our security bugs are detected using AddressSanitizer, MemorySanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer, Control Flow Integrity, libFuzzer, or AFL.



Interested in switching release channels? Find out how here. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.



Srinivas Sista
Google Chrome


Extended Stable Channel Update for Desktop

The Extended Stable channel has been updated to 120.0.6099.276 for Windows and Mac which will roll out over the coming days/weeks.

A full list of changes in this build is available in the log. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how here. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug. The community help forum is also a great place to reach out for help or learn about common issues.


Srinivas Sista
Google Chrome

Chrome Stable for iOS Update

Hi everyone! We've just released Chrome Stable 121 (121.0.6167.138) for iOS; it'll become available on App Store in the next few hours.

This release includes stability and performance improvements. You can see a full list of the changes in the Git log. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.

Krishna Govind
Google Chrome

Improving the Google Calendar appointment scheduling experience with new features

What’s changing

Last year, we introduced new appointment scheduling features to help you set more relevant meeting durations and tailor your calendar view to match your preferences. In our effort to further improve upon the current appointment scheduling experience, we’re adding the options to: 
  • Add up to 20 co-hosts to your appointment schedule during the setup process so you can host appointments with others. 
Add up to 20 co-hosts to your appointment schedule
  • Create appointment schedules on secondary calendars. Prior to this update, you could only create appointment schedules on your own primary calendar. Now, you can create the schedule and receive booked events on secondary calendars as well. This can be particularly useful when multiple users, such as a team, need access to the same set of office hours. Everyone with permission to use the secondary calendar can make changes to the schedule and view incoming bookings. The appointment schedule can check the secondary calendar for availability, but cannot check the availability of all users with access to the secondary calendar. 
Create appointment schedules on secondary calendars

  • Expand the delegate access functionality to appointment scheduling. Currently, delegate access enables you to let someone else, such as an administrative assistant, access your Google Workspace account to send mail or manage calendar invitations and events on your behalf. Now, the person with delegate access can edit or delete your appointment schedules on your primary calendar. 
  • Select “Check calendars for availability”, which enables you to decide whether or not you want to check the availability of calendars added to the appointment schedule. Unchecking this setting means even if there is a conflict on one of the calendars, users will still be able to book that time. This may be useful if you want to prioritize incoming bookings over existing meetings. 

Select “Check calendars for availability”, which enables you to decide whether or not you want to check the availability of calendars added to the appointment schedule.
Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: 
    • You cannot add groups or users outside of your domain as a co-host.
    • Co-hosts are not able to see appointment schedule details or make changes. However, if the schedule was created on a shared calendar, the co-host will have access to see details or make changes.
    • Bookings will be visible on the host and any additional co-hosts’ primary calendars.
    • The “Check calendars for availability” feature will be ON by default and can be disabled by unselecting the “Check calendars for availability” box in the appointment schedule editor. 
      • Co-hosts calendars are not automatically checked for availability. You can select your co-host's calendar in the "Check calendars for availability" section to have their availability considered (as long as you are subscribed to that calendar).
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating an appointment schedule and customizing your appointment availability.

Rollout pace 

Availability

Co-hosts, secondary calendars and delegate access: 
  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Nonprofits 
Check Calendars for availability: 
  • Available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Nonprofits, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 


Effortlessly upgrade to Passkeys on Pixel phones with Google Password Manager

Posted by Sherif Hanna, Group Product Manager, Pixel Security

Helping Pixel owners upgrade to the easier, safer way to sign in

Your phone contains a lot of your personal information, from financial data to photos. Pixel phones are designed to help protect you and your data, and make security and privacy as easy as possible. This is why the Pixel team has been especially excited about passkeys—the easier, safer alternative to passwords.

Passkeys are safer because they’re unique to each account, and are more resistant against online attacks such as phishing. They’re easier to use because there’s nothing for you to remember: when it’s time to sign in, using a passkey is as simple as unlocking your device with your face or fingerprint, or your PIN/pattern/password.

Google is working to accelerate passkey adoption. We’ve launched support for passkeys on Google platforms such as Android and Chrome, and recently we announced that we’re making passkeys a default option across personal Google Accounts. We’re also working with our partners across the industry to make passkeys available on more websites and apps.

Recently, we took things a step further. As part of last December’s Pixel Feature Drop, we introduced a new feature to Google Password Manager: passkey upgrades. With this new feature, Google Password Manager will let you discover which of your accounts support passkeys, and help you upgrade with just a few taps.

This new passkey upgrade experience is now available on Pixel phones (starting from Pixel 5a) as well as Pixel Tablet. Google Password manager will incorporate these updates for other platforms in the future.

Best of all, today we’re happy to announce that we’ve teamed up with Adobe, Best Buy, DocuSign, eBay, Kayak, Money Forward, Nintendo, PayPal, Uber, Yahoo! Japan—and soon, TikTok as well, to help bring you this easy passkey upgrade experience and usher you into the passwordless future.

If you have an account with one of these early launch partners, Google Password Manager on Pixel will helpfully guide you to the exact location on the partner’s website or app where you can upgrade to a passkey. There’s no need to manually hunt for the option in account settings.

And because the technology that makes this possible is open, any website or app, as well as any other password manager, can leverage it to help their users upgrade to passkeys for supporting accounts. It’s all part of Google’s commitment to help make signing in easier and safer.

KC Digital Drive – Digital Dignity and More Choices for Underserved Residents in Kansas City


Google Fiber partners with organizations working to make digital equity a reality in the communities we serve. KC Digital Drive was mobilized to combat the digital divide for underserved residents in Kansas City. Brynna Darley of KC Digital Drive shares the organization’s work towards the region’s digital transformation with an emphasis on digital choice and dignity, as well as support broadband connectivity and digital inclusion.


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KC Digital Drive is an organization that focuses on civic engagement in digital inclusion and emerging technology. To do so, we offer several programs to help combat the digital divide in the bi-state Kansas City region. We leverage the talents and resources available to us in the surrounding community. Notably, the last two years of our collaboration with Google Fiber found us on the receiving end of 400 Chromecasts.



Wanting to make the best of this opportunity, Peter Smith, an AmeriCorps Vista member working with KC Digital Drive, got creative and developed a new educational workshop that illustrated the power of switching from cable TV to streaming services (like added flexibility and more money in your pocket each month). He developed a curriculum and connected with partner organizations to assess the demand for this new Cut the Cord (CTC) Workshop. 



Each one-hour session focuses on: 


  • Setting up and using Chromecast 

  • Navigating the streaming landscape of free and paid services 

  • Finding reliable home internet at speeds suitable for their streaming needs


Since introducing this curriculum in April of 2023, we’ve distributed more than 325 Chromecasts donated by GFiber, across 19 events with nine different partner organizations, including Phoenix Family, The Black Family Technology Awareness Association, and Jewish Family Services.


In October of last year, we integrated the workshops into our class schedule at the Digital Services and Support Center at the LAMP campus — a digital commons for training and support in Kansas City historic east side that serves low-income neighborhoods and residents.

One workshop attendee, Rodolfo ‘Rudy’ Mesa, is a perfect example of how transformative one device can be. Mesa is 82 years old, living in Kansas City but originally from Wyoming. 


“Living on a fixed income, cable is a cost just like anything else, like a cellphone,” he said. He learned about our Cut the Cord workshops through outreach from our Digital Skills Trainer, Carol Meyers. 


Mesa shared that being a nerdy type of guy, access to streaming content and entertainment with his new Chromecast allows him to explore interests of history, nature, civilization, different animals and people, and the planet and science. 


We have been so pleased to see the demand for these workshops grow as our partners and community engage with options that boost equity and understanding of the technology and digital skills that fuel such a big part of daily life. We know that cable subscriptions can be expensive, and we are delighted to see these free devices help hundreds of households save money each month. 


To learn more about Cut the Cord workshop and the digital inclusion ecosystem in Kansas City, subscribe to our Kansas City Regional Digital Inclusion Newsletter and visit us online at kcdigitaldrive.org. 



Posted by Brynna Darley, State Digital Inclusion Coordinator








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Local data storage exports your organization’s Workspace data into the geographic location of your choice, launching in beta

What’s changing 

Today, we’re introducing Google Workspace’s new feature, local data storage. This feature allows admins to export their organization’s Workspace data into the geographic location or locations of their choice. These are the available options for this feature: 
  • User data: Specify users, groups, organizational units or your entire organization 
  • Export frequency: Opt for continuous or one-time exports 
  • Storage settings: Specify the geographic location of the Google Cloud storage bucket that the data is exported to, who can access the data, and more settings within the Google Cloud storage bucket.

When creating a new export, you can choose to export your data continuously into your own storage bucket



Who’s impacted

Admins


Why you’d use it

This update allows admins to export their organization's Workspace data into their own Google Cloud Storage (GCS) bucket located in a geographic location of their choice to meet their data sovereignty, compliance, and data archival needs. 

Getting started


Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers with Assured Controls add-on
    • If you don’t currently have the Assured Controls add-on, please contact us or reach out to your sales rep for more information.

Resources