Google has shortened Chrome’s major update cycle to two weeks from the previous four weeks.

On Sept. 8 (local time), IT outlet TechCrunch and others reported that Google officially applied the new two-week release schedule alongside the launch of Chrome 153 for desktop, Android and iOS. Major version updates that were previously released every four weeks will now be rolled out every two weeks. The next version, Chrome 154, is scheduled for release on Sept. 22.

The key to the change is to speed security responses. Google explained that Chrome’s security strategy is also changing for the artificial intelligence era. As the use of automated AI tools and community bug reports increases and the scale of patches and updates grows, the company is shortening the release cycle to deliver security fixes to users more quickly.

Google said that to respond to rapidly changing security threats, including AI-based attacks, it needs to narrow the gap between when fixes are reflected in public code and when they reach users. It said this also helps minimise the so-called “N-day” patch gap that occurs after a vulnerability is disclosed and before a patch is applied. Google explained that once fixes are reflected in public code, attackers can analyse them and exploit vulnerabilities, making it important to reduce the patch gap.

With a shorter update cycle, the scope of changes included in a single release will shrink. Instead, new features, performance improvements and bug fixes can be delivered more often. A smaller change set could also speed efforts to pinpoint the cause when problems occur after an update. Google also expected that, from developers’ perspective, web feature rollouts, cross-browser compatibility improvements and security updates will happen faster.

The biweekly update schedule is also meaningful in terms of feature release speed. AI-driven software development is spreading and new browsers are emerging one after another. OpenAI’s web browser, ChatGPT Atlas, has been discontinued, but Brave, Dia, Opera Neon, Perplexity’s Comet and the DuckDuckGo browser are challenging Chrome’s market. Google is also adding AI features to Chrome and improving them quickly, and the shorter update cycle is expected to affect competition over browser features.

The change is expected to affect the broader web ecosystem. Because Chrome is the most widely used browser in the world, changes to its release cycle could serve as an industry benchmark. Mozilla, Microsoft and Brave have also already begun introducing fast, two-week update schedules.

The Extended Stable channel for enterprise customers will keep its existing eight-week update schedule. Google said, however, that for enterprise users it recommends that most use the two-week Stable channel.

This is not the first time Chrome’s update cycle has been shortened. In 2021, Google reduced the major release cycle to four weeks from six. The shift to a biweekly schedule extends that change, aiming to respond quickly to security threats accelerated by AI while delivering new features and performance improvements faster.