Google+ has been more enjoyable to use thanks to a few developers who have created exciting Google+ Chrome Extensions to add features or change user elements. Less exciting was the trend last night that all G+ extensions suddenly stopped working, leading many to wonder if Google was blocking them.
No, what actually happened is that Google updated the Chrome Browser and changed the naming structure for certain browser elements. That’s a problem when virtually all of the Plus extensions use the naming structure from the previous day. As a result, Google Plus Chrome extensions stopped working on the evening of August 2, 2011.
Many developers of the top G+ extensions have already updated their creations to be compatible with the latest version of Google Chrome, but some users are not seeing the change. That’s because Chrome extensions do not auto-update as quickly as the browser. Here’s how to force your extensions to update now and get your Google Plus customizations working again. (Note: this trick only works if a developer has already updated the code to his extension, so not all G+ mods will work.)
- In Google Chrome, click on the wrench icon near the top right of the screen
- Select Tools > Extensions
- Click the “+ Developer Mode” link located on the right side of the screen
- Click “Update extension now”
Within a few minutes, your Google Plus extensions should work again (if the developer has updated the code).