Google Pulls Chrome for Apple Silicon Macs After Unexpected Crashes – Will be Released Again Today

Nov 18, 2020 10:40 EST

Google released Chrome 87 last night, promising the "largest performance gains in years." Available for all the platforms, the latest and final version for 2020 also brings support for the super-hyped Apple M1 chip. The download page asked macOS users to choose between Mac with Intel and Apple chip.

Chrome for Apple M1

Final Chrome Release of 2020 Brings the “Largest Performance Gain in Years”

However, after the rollout last night, the browser maker had to pull the download links for this version because of some bugs. "Earlier today we updated our Chrome download page to include a new version of Chrome optimized for new macOS devices featuring an Apple processor," the company writes.

"We’ve discovered that the version of Chrome made available for download today may crash unexpectedly."

Mark Chang, Chrome Product Manager, tweeted later last night that the rollout will resume today.

We hit a bit of a snag with our rollout of the M1-native build of Chrome, so to keep our users in a good place, we paused that rollout and will pick it up again tomorrow. If you already have the M1 build, we have a workaround https://t.co/t5igTxF6Cm

— Mark Chang (@mchang)

Chrome for Apple M1 causes unexpected crashes for some users - workaround

If you have already downloaded this version on an Apple device with the latest M1 chip and are experiencing problems, Google has shared the following workaround:

Click on the Apple icon and then System Preferences.
Click on Security & Privacy.
Select the Privacy tab.
In the left menu, select Bluetooth.
Below your approved applications, select add application (+).
Select Google Chrome.
Restart Chrome.

You can also choose to uninstall Chrome and then re-install it but choose the "Mac with Intel chip" version when downloading it to avoid any issues. However, do note that the company has identified the bug and has promised to make the fixed version available soon.