Why does it matter if my browser is out of date?
Short answer
Browser updates often fix flaws attackers are already using, so an old version can be exploited just by opening a page. Chrome updates itself, but only finishes after a restart, and one that has stalled can stop prompting. Check your version now and then.
Why it matters
Browsers are huge, and flaws in them are found constantly. When one is being used in real attacks, the browser maker ships a fix within days. Until your browser has that fix, visiting the wrong page can be enough.
Why browsers fall behind
- An update downloads in the background but only applies when Chrome restarts, and some people never close it.
- An old computer may no longer get updates for its operating system, and the browser stops with it.
- Occasionally an install gets stuck and stops prompting at all, and needs reinstalling.
How to check
- In Chrome, open the menu, then Help, then About Google Chrome.
- Chrome checks for an update. If it offers Relaunch, do it.
For a family or a team
The people least likely to notice are the ones most likely to be behind. Checking their version is a two-minute favor.
Haven's role
While your browser is running, the extension reports once a minute that it is running. Signed out, that report carries only the install ID, Haven's version, whether Haven had your other extensions paused at that moment, and your operating system and browser family.
Haven Business includes a Risk Report with an executive summary, an extension risk inventory and recommendations on what to fix first, and admins can see every extension installed across the team and each member's browser version, with outdated browsers flagged.
How Haven handles this
- While your browser is running, the extension reports once a minute that it is running. Signed out, that report carries only the install ID, Haven's version, whether Haven had your other extensions paused at that moment, and your operating system and browser family. Signed in, it also carries browser and system details and the extension inventory. Your email address is never in it: your sign-in identifies the account.Verified by engineering October 29, 2026
- Haven Business includes a Risk Report with an executive summary, an extension risk inventory and recommendations on what to fix first, and admins can see every extension installed across the team and each member's browser version, with outdated browsers flagged. Which reports appear can depend on plan.Verified by engineering October 28, 2026