A new version of Chrome designed especially for the latest Apple M1 hardware in its new Macbooks is causing devices to crash, Google has confirmed.
The new version of the Chrome browser was created to run smoothly on devices running Apple's M1 processors, but users have complained the software is crashing their new purchases.
Apple M1 processors appear to be the only platform affected by the issue following their recent release to huge fanfare.
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Chrome on Mac
Google says it has already identified what is causing the issue, and the company is working on a fixed version of Chrome for release as soon as possible.
"Earlier today we updated our Chrome download page to include a new version of Chrome optimized for new macOS devices featuring an Apple processor," Chrome Support Manager Craig Tumblison said in a support post.
"We’ve discovered that the version of Chrome made available for download today may crash unexpectedly."
Tumblison presented two workaround to users encountering the issue:
- Open System Preferences
- Navigate to Security & Privacy
- At the top, select Privacy
- From the left, select Bluetooth
- Below your approved applications, select add application (+)
- Select Google Chrome
- Restart Chrome
Alternately:
- Uninstall Chrome
- Visit the Chrome download page
- If prompted, select “Mac with Intel chip” when downloading Chrome.
The news is unfortunate given that Google is rolling out this new Chrome update to users on other systems too.
Chrome 87 was meant to be the fastest and most efficient version of the browser to date, with Google boasting it was "up to 25% faster to start up and 7% faster to load pages, all while using less memory."
The new version was to be offered to Mac users as a choice of two seperate versions, depending on what hardware they own - either "Mac with Intel chip" or "Mac with Apple chip".
Expected to be the last version released this year, Chrome 87 also brings better tab search, new functionalities to the address bar, and Chrome Cards. Google says that Chrome now prioritizes active tabs, thereby reducing CPU usage by up to 5x and extending battery life by up to 1.25 hours.
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