Google Chrome Will Disable Sync If You Haven’t Updated in a Long Time

Google has announced a new policy for its Chrome browser, under which sync will be disabled if you haven’t updated the browser in the past few years.

Earlier this year, Google stated that Chrome Sync will enforce a new policy, making it incompatible with outdated browser versions. The cut-off applies to versions that are "more than four years old."

Affected browser versions will display a message prompting users to update Chrome in order to "start syncing" or "continue using Chrome data with your Google account."

Google's Explanation:

Starting in early 2025, Chrome Sync (which allows data to be stored and used with your Google account) will stop working on Chrome versions that are over four years old. If you're using an outdated version, you may start seeing an error message instructing you to "update Chrome to start syncing" or "update Chrome to continue using Chrome data with your Google account."

By default, Chrome updates automatically and applies changes when the browser is relaunched. Therefore, the vast majority of users won’t be affected by this change. This policy mainly impacts those who have manually disabled updates or are stuck on an outdated operating system, preventing them from installing newer Chrome versions.

Even in such cases, most users still have access to relatively recent versions of Chrome. For example, Windows 7, which Microsoft discontinued in 2020, can still update to Chrome 109, released in 2023. This means that users on such systems still have around two years before sync becomes unavailable.