Google Chrome 56 is the current stable version of the popular web browser as of this writing. Soon enough, this will change with the release of version 57 which is currently in the Beta Channel right now. What isn’t certain though is the release date of version 57.
Chrome has several release channels for different versions of their browser. The Stable Channel is where the fully tested program is going to be released. It is updated every two to three weeks for minor updates and every six weeks for major ones.
The Beta Channel, on the other hand, is where users can find what Chrome is offering next and in this case it is version 57. This channel sees a weekly update while major updates take six weeks.
The Dev Channel is where you can see releases that are still laden with bugs. This is updated once or twice a week and it gives users a rough overview of what the Chrome team is working on. This build does undergo testing but it’s still not free from bugs.
While not the most buggy channel, getting releases from the Canary Build is still risky as it hasn’t undergone testing. It’s updated daily so whatever gets built will be released here.
But if you really want a wild ride then the Other Builds channel is for you. Although it features a working browser, it’s really buggy.
What Will Chrome 57 Bring
One thing is for sure: version 57 of the Chrome browser will feature bug fixes found with version 56. Yes, even though the current stable version underwent full testing, it may still behave differently when finally released. Reported bugs are worked on and fixes are made available either in a sub-branch of the current version or included in the latest version.
Version 56 was released on January 25, 2017 and since then, there has been one update. That update bumped the version number to 56.0.2924.87 (the release version was 56.0.2924.76). The latest update included fixes addressing performance and stability while also including new features such as being able to use emails, addresses and phone numbers found in web pages by simply tapping on them; accessing downloaded files and web pages from a new tab; and downloading article suggestions through long press.
Google Chrome is a continuously updated product and that is always a good sign. And why shouldn’t updates be welcome? They bring in new improvements as well as security fixes.
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