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New Chrome Web Store rules demand extensions 'have a single purpose'

New Chrome Web Store rules demand extensions 'have a single purpose'

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Google wants to keep Chrome speedy, easy to use, and stable, and the company is focusing on reigning in extensions to do so. The company is putting new restrictions in place mandating that all extensions "must have a single purpose that is narrow and easy-to-understand," according to a blog post announcing the news by engineering director Erik Kay. The new requirement goes into effect today for new extensions submitted to the Chrome Web Store, and those already in the store will have until June of next year to comply.

The new policy means major changes are in store for some extensions, but Kay notes that Chrome was originally designed to only support limited extensions by design. Technical restrictions prevented full-on toolbars from working in Chrome, and they limited extensions to one button or action. Kay says that some developers have found ways around these restrictions, prompting the Chrome Web Store policy change. The news follows an announcement last month that Google was stripping support in Windows for extensions not downloaded directly from the Web Store — a move similarly designed to crack down on poorly made, aggressive, and spammy extensions.