What happens to dev releases for chromium browsers in July 2025?

[u-RraaLL]

Since chromium-based browsers currently install dev releases from CWS, they won't be able to do that anymore in July when Google removes all MV2 extensions from their store. Are there any plans for introducing dev releases to other stores? Or will people have to install each version manually from then on? @gorhill

Sorry if I've missed a discussion about it elsewhere.

[krystian3w]

If browsers extending support do not launch a common store (or start cooperation with Opera Store), users of Brave, Supremium, Thorium will probably be forced to install the updates manually, when the update mechanism from the XML file fails in all three with requirements to jump to another fork (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5842205/chrome-extension-auto-update-from-a-local-server, somewhere in the discussions there is an example of an add-on with updates outside the store based on XML file).

Perhaps you can indicate a network disk resource (maybe Dropbox) as the folder with the unpacked add-on.

[gorhill]

Are there any plans for introducing dev releases to other stores?

No plan. I experimented with creating signed .crx but Chromium refused to accept them. The only option left will be to just use Firefox.

[Linusintro]

If you go to chrome://flags/#extension-mime-request-handling and set it to "Always prompt for install", chromium will be able to install the signed .crx.
If the issue you're trying to imply is "ERROR:CRX_FILE_NOT_READABLE" or "CRX_REQUIRED_PROOF_MISSING".

[gorhill]

extension-mime-request-handling

I don't have this flag in my Chromium 150.0.7871.186 (linux).

[Linusintro]

I'm sorry, you're right. This is a feature exclusive to ungoogled chromium as it seems. I just assumed it was a feature of base chromium as well.

[u-RraaLL]

#4075 (reply in thread)