Yesterday we saw Google roll out a new update via the App store for it's Chrome browser. Prior to this everything was fine but this new update has brought more than users were expecting. The latest Chrome update introduced some long-press based gestures as well as new sharing features. What the release notes for this update didn't mention however, was that jailbroken users would pay the price for �security� amendments.
People who regularly use Chrome on their jailbroken devices started to notice that their beloved browser was being disturbed when launching the updated Chrome app and this resulted in an immediate crash back to the home screen. After some investigation by Jay Freeman and developer Paul Griffin, it has become apparent that Google has introduced some untested jailbreak detection code into Chrome and this results in all jailbroken devices trying to use Chrome crashing everytime they launch it.
While enhanced security is always a good thing when it comes to mobile apps, even the most security conscious would agree that crashing and not even letting jailbroken devices use the app is going a little too far. The problem with this new version of Chrome seems to occur in the actual jailbreak detection code that has been included and the code automatically assumes that users have agreed to send usage data back to Google, whereas in reality, it is turned off by default.
Right now there is no perfect fix but Google have confirmed that we should see an update hitting the app store soon to resolve this issue. In the meantime, affected users are faced with the reality of having to allow Chrome to �send usage data�. It is also suggested that for the interim period users should remove all third-party Chrome based Cydia tweaks. You can follow the simple steps below to enable the usage data feedback options to allow Chrome to work again.
The first thing you need to do is launch the Google Chrome for iOS app. Once it launches, select the Menu button that is located immediately on the right hand side of the omnibox before selecting the Settings option. Scroll down and select the Privacy option which is located under the Advanced heading, select Send Usage Data. You need to make sure that you have either Always or Only on Wi-Fi selected from the list.
It is important to say that you need to do all this before the app crashes.
