Chrome 132 Enterprise and Education Release Highlights

Released on January 8, 2025, Chrome 132 brings a suite of enhancements aimed at improving security, user experience, and administrative control for enterprise and education environments. This update focuses on streamlining workflows, bolstering security measures, and providing IT administrators with more robust tools for managing Chrome deployments.

🔐 Enhanced Security Features

1. Safe Browsing API v5 Migration

Chrome 132 transitions to the latest Safe Browsing API v5, offering improved protection against phishing, malware, and other web-based threats. This update ensures faster and more accurate threat detection, enhancing user safety during browsing sessions.

2. Partitioned :visited Link History

To bolster user privacy, Chrome 132 implements partitioning for the :visited CSS selector. This change prevents websites from determining if a user has visited a particular URL, mitigating potential tracking vectors.

🧩 User Experience Improvements

3. Google Lens Result Presentation Updates

Search results from Google Lens queries, whether originating from the device camera or image searches on web pages, are now presented in a native UI panel that slides up from the bottom of the screen. This enhancement provides a more seamless and integrated user experience.

🛠️ Administrative and Management Enhancements

4. Multiple Identity Support on iOS

Chrome 132 introduces support for multiple managed accounts on iOS devices. Users can now maintain separate profiles for work and personal browsing, ensuring data separation and compliance with organizational policies.

5. Inactive Profile Deletion in Chrome Enterprise Core

To maintain optimal performance and security, Chrome 132 implements automatic deletion of inactive profiles in Chrome Enterprise Core. This feature helps administrators manage user profiles more effectively, reducing clutter and potential security risks.

📅 Upcoming Changes and Deprecations

6. Removal of Support for macOS 11

Starting with Chrome 138, support for macOS 11 will be discontinued. Users on macOS 11 will need to upgrade their operating system to continue receiving Chrome updates and security patches.

📌 Summary

Chrome 132 delivers critical updates that enhance security, improve user experience, and provide administrators with better tools for managing Chrome environments in enterprise and education settings. Key highlights include:

Migration to Safe Browsing API v5 for improved threat detection.
Enhanced privacy through partitioned :visited link history.
Streamlined Google Lens result presentation.
Support for multiple managed accounts on iOS.
Automatic deletion of inactive profiles in Chrome Enterprise Core.
Upcoming deprecation of macOS 11 support.

For a detailed overview of all changes, refer to the official Chrome Enterprise and Education release notes.