Outpour of pain and anger online as Google's steamroll of uBlock Origin hits more users

It has been coming for months, but now the pain is hitting home — Google is steamrolling its way through Manifest V2 extensions, and uBlock Origin users are feeling the burn. The original, full-featured version of the popular ad blocker is being forcefully disabled for more Chrome users, leaving the internet awash in complaints, frustration, and exodus plans.

Google has been on a mission to phase out Manifest V2, the extension framework that powered some of the best ad blockers, including uBlock Origin. The company insists that Manifest V3 is all about better privacy and security, but the move conveniently kneecaps ad blockers by stripping away crucial features they relied on to function effectively.

For a while, this was just a quiet storm — users knew it was coming, but as long as uBlock Origin still worked, they could pretend everything was fine. As revealed by the uBlock Origin team back in December, that grace period is now over. Chrome users are being greeted with a notification under the extensions tab, bluntly informing them that their favorite ad blocker has been turned off and is “no longer supported.” Their choices? Remove it or manage extensions — both of which lead to the same unfortunate reality: uBlock Origin is dead on Chrome.

The transition has elicited strong reactions, particularly on X and Reddit, where users express frustration and anger. One X post stated, “End of an era. uBlock Origin removed from chrome. Looks like I’ll just have to put up with egregious, downright criminal amounts of over-advertising.” Another user, on the same platform, declared, “Google Chrome removed ublock origin…….. im gonna join the operagx people before i die,” signaling a potential browser switch. These posts and many others with view counts in the hundreds to thousands, reflect widespread discontent.

Reddit and other forums are also brimming with complaints, with users feeling betrayed by Google’s move, especially given its role as a major advertising entity. This sentiment is not surprising, given uBlock Origin’s popularity, with historical data suggesting it rivals other ad blockers like AdBlock Plus in user base.

The technical shift to Manifest V3 means uBlock Origin’s full functionality is compromised. uBlock Origin Lite, a Manifest V3-compatible version, offers reduced filtering, as it cannot leverage the same dynamic blocking capabilities. Users can opt for this, but many find it less effective.

Other Chromium-based browsers aren’t faring much better. Microsoft Edge recently joined the purge, disabling V2 extensions left and right. Even Brave, which has built its reputation on privacy-first browsing, admits that it will only be able to offer “limited” support once Google fully wipes out Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

That leaves Firefox as the last refuge for those who refuse to browse the web without a proper ad blocker. Mozilla has stood firm, promising to continue supporting both Manifest V2 and V3 extensions, making it the go-to choice for disgruntled Chrome defectors. But with the recent controvercy around the changes to Firefox privacy terms, it might affect how many people actually make the switch.

The ad blocker war isn’t over, but it’s clear that Google isn’t backing down. After all, the company has billions of reasons (read: ad dollars) to make sure its browser doesn’t allow unfettered ad blocking.