We recently learned that Windows 10 and Windows 11 are seemingly blocking Google Chrome on PCs which have the Family Safety feature enabled. Microsoft and Google both recommended affected customers to unblock Chrome from within the Family Safety mobile app in order to restore access to the browser. Now, Microsoft has confirmed more issues plaguing Chrome on Windows.
In a new Microsoft Learn entry, the Redmond tech firm has identified two more bugs. The first one has to do with Family Safety not effectively blocking Chrome in Windows. Basically, parents typically control access to other browsers through the web filtering feature in Family Safety. On the backend, Microsoft blocks browsers through a blocklist, which also requires the version of the browser that should be blocked.
Now, the company has acknowledged that it has not added the latest version of Chrome and some other browsers to this list, which means that they are unblocked for now and accessible to children on PCs managed by their parents. The firm is in the process of updating its blocklist.
In parallel, Microsoft has received reports of Chrome and some other browsers crashing on PCs with Family Safety enabled. Typically, when you open the browser on such a PC, you would be greeted with the prompt "You'll need to ask to use this app", which is a part of the parental consent flow. However, instead of showing this message, Chrome is crashing.
During its investigation, Microsoft has discovered that this happens when the Activity reporting configuration in Family Safety is disabled. So, to work around this issue, the tech giant has requested parents to turn on this feature as it works on a more concrete fix. The company has indicated that it is still working to resolve both issues more effectively and that it will share more information as it becomes available.
3 Comments - Add comment