Take Control of Third-Party Cookies: Chrome’s New Temporary Unblock Feature
Google Chrome, the widely-used browser, is constantly evolving to enhance the user experience. The latest development focuses on granting users more control over third-party cookies. In the upcoming Chrome Canary 117 update for desktop, a new feature will enable users to temporarily unblock these cookies by toggling a switch.
Google Chrome has gained immense popularity across various platforms, although Microsoft has made efforts to discourage its installation on Windows by promoting the Edge browser. Despite this, the desktop version of Chrome has been at the forefront of recent changes, prioritizing personalization. Now, with the introduction of granular control over third-party cookies, Chrome is taking another stride towards empowering its users.
One notable aspect of Chrome’s flexibility is its ability to temporarily enable or disable certain features. For instance, a recent addition allows users to temporarily disable all active Chrome extensions through a convenient switch. Similarly, the upcoming feature for temporarily unblocking third-party cookies caters to specific needs and provides a solution for websites that require essential cookies to function properly. Enabling third-party cookies temporarily can resolve issues that might have disrupted the website’s intended functionality. Furthermore, for those who tend to forget to re-enable cookie blocking, the option to disable browsing activity trackers only temporarily can prove to be highly beneficial.
The new dialog accompanying the feature explains the advantages of enabling cookies in order to fix broken sites. Once the switch is activated, Chrome will automatically resume blocking cookies after 90 days, offering a generous timeframe for users to enjoy temporary unblocking without needing to frequently toggle the switch, even for frequently visited web pages.
Anticipating its release in the stable channel soon, we look forward to seeing this new cookie setting implemented in Chrome 117. While cookies are often associated with excessive activity tracking and generally perceived as undesirable, they play a crucial role in the proper functioning of certain websites. Given their persistent reputation, it would be great to witness Chrome developers allowing users to customize the duration of temporary cookie enabling. However, it is important to progress incrementally, taking one step at a time towards enhancing user control and privacy.