What you need to know
- Google is finally removing Manifest V2 support, ending compatibility with many older Chrome extensions.
- Popular ad blockers like uBlock Origin may stop working once Chrome fully completes the transition.
- Newer Manifest V3-compatible blockers such as uBlock Origin Lite will continue to function in Chrome.
- Chromium-based browsers like Edge and Opera could also be affected by the Manifest V2 shutdown.
A future update for Google Chrome could mark the end of some of the most popular ad blockers currently available.
Ever since 2019, Google has been working toward a new browser extension framework called Manifest V3. The transition hit several delays along the way, but the official deprecation of Manifest V2 extensions began in 2024. Now, it looks like Google is finally approaching the end of that transition, and it could have major consequences for popular ad-blocking extensions.
As spotted by Cybernews, Google has been gradually phasing out Manifest V2 support in Chrome for a while. However, the company now appears ready to complete the transition with upcoming Chrome releases, reportedly version 150 or 151, where Manifest V2 support will be removed entirely.
Once that happens, extensions built on Manifest V2 will no longer work in Chrome. That includes several older and extremely popular ad blockers, most notably uBlock Origin.
The biggest issue is that Manifest V3 limits some of the advanced filtering techniques that older ad blockers rely on. Under Manifest V2, extensions could perform more dynamic filtering and run more freely in the background. Manifest V3 introduces a much stricter framework that significantly changes how extensions interact with web traffic.
That doesn't mean ad blockers are disappearing altogether. Extensions built specifically for Manifest V3, such as uBlock Origin Lite and similar alternatives, will continue to function. But many legacy ad blockers will stop working once Chrome fully removes Manifest V2 support.
The change could also affect other Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge and Opera, although individual browser vendors may choose to handle Manifest V2 support differently.
Chrome version 150 is expected to arrive later this month and could remove much of the remaining Manifest V2 functionality. Any leftover support is expected to disappear completely with Chrome 151, which is likely to arrive shortly afterward.
Android Central's Take
As someone who works in publishing, I'd be lying if I said this doesn't feel like a positive change. Ads ultimately pay for the content we consume. That said, I also completely understand why users turned to ad blockers in the first place, and how annoying this change might be for them.
