Google’s version of Chrome that will run natively on Apple’s new Macs with Arm-based processors is now available, according to Mark Chang, a Chrome product manager. Google initially began rolling the new version out Tuesday, but paused the rollout because that version may have crashed unexpectedly.
In theory, a native version of the notoriously resource-hungry browser might run more efficiently on Apple’s Arm-based computers. In our reviews of the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini equipped with the new M1 chip, though, we found that the version of Chrome built for Intel chips already runs well on Apple’s new Macs, so hopefully this native version runs even better.
You’ll be able to pick which version of Chrome to download from the browser’s website. The Verge’s Dieter Bohn saw this prompt on his MacBook Air review unit with an M1 chip when he visited the site:
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Image: Dieter Bohn
Google began rolling out a new version of Chrome on Tuesday, touting the “the largest gain in Chrome performance in years” thanks to some under-the-hood changes. The company’s blog about the new release didn’t mention anything about a version optimized for Apple’s Arm-based Macs.
Update November 18th, 3:23PM ET: Google has released the native version of Chrome for Apple silicon-equipped Macs, so we have made updates throughout this article.
