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Many tech blog posts show that Chrome extensions are not available on Chrome for Android, and therefore show how to install another Chromium-based browser on Android smartphones, that support extensions.

Question: Where is an official source about the fact extensions are not supported with Chrome for Android and/or a roadmap about future evolutions (is an estimate date already known about Chrome extensions support in Chrome for Andrdoid)?

(This information is not easily findable on internet; if it is, it is lost in the middle of many articles about how to install other browsers that support extensions, etc.)

Basj
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    https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/faq – Nanev Jan 07 '20 at 13:10
  • You can also run the official Google Chrome mobile and you'll see it neither has the extensions menu nor can it install extensions from the web store site nor from any other source. And here's the source code [build config](https://source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/master:extensions/buildflags/buildflags.gni) that explicitly disables extensions on mobile platforms. – wOxxOm Jan 07 '20 at 13:12
  • Thank you @Nanev. I think this is the answer (feel free to post it): `Chrome apps and extensions are currently not supported on Chrome for Android. We have no plans to announce at this time.` Do you think this FAQ is updated? Do they really have no roadmap to support extensions for Chrome Android in the long term? This is sad since extensions would be really useful! – Basj Jan 07 '20 at 14:05
  • They don't have any plans. The extensions component is barely alive as it is, with just one permanent/dedicated developer maintaining it, so there are hundreds of abandoned bug reports and no noteworthy API additions over the last 5+ years. The upcoming ManifestV3 draft doesn't mention anything about mobile extensions either. – wOxxOm Jan 07 '20 at 14:44
  • @wOxxOm Oh really just one developer for the extensions component? (btw the extension ecosystem is big and well alive!) – Basj Jan 07 '20 at 14:45
  • Yes, just one over the last 5 years. Other developers just occasionally make a commit when their own component requires changes related to extensions. The upcoming ManifestV3 implementation though is written by two additional developers. – wOxxOm Jan 07 '20 at 14:48
  • Feel free to post all this as an answer, I think it's interesting information for developers who are considering releasing extensions for desktop or mobile. – Basj Jan 07 '20 at 14:53

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