Background

The USO Chrome Extension [Chrome Extension ID: cfaiemjbjcbagnibmlflmmfccfdmnbek] is used by the SSO Portal and USO Client to achieve Single Sign-On (SSO) for web apps on the Chrome web browser. This USO Chrome Extension, which is published in the Chrome Web Store, uses the Manifest V2 format. Manifest is a file format defined by Google for Chrome Extensions and their metadata. Google announced the move to Manifest V3 (a new Manifest version) several years ago. However, this transition to V3 was delayed several times.

Recently, on 16 Nov 2023, Google gave the final deadline for this transition:
“We will begin disabling Manifest V2 extensions in pre-stable versions of Chrome (Dev, Canary, and Beta) as early as June 2024, in Chrome 127 and later. Users impacted by the rollout will see Manifest V2 extensions automatically disabled in their browser and will no longer be able to install Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store.”
Source: https://developer.chrome.com/blog/resuming-the-transition-to-mv3/ (URL accessed on 15 Jan 2024)

Due to this transition, USO customers are advised to upgrade to USO Chrome Extension (Chrome Manifest V3) [Chrome Extension ID: bfffjeneelooklefkmdigdfpnpfnfeac]. This Manifest V3 extension can be found on the Chrome Web Store at the following link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/uso-chrome-extension-chro/bfffjeneelooklefkmdigdfpnpfnfeac. The earliest version of the USO Client certified to work with this Manifest V3 extension is USO Client 5.6.2.0013-GA-E11.

F.A.Q.

Q1. Can I continue to use the SSO Portal if I do not upgrade?
Our understanding is that if you do not upgrade your Chrome browser version, you can still continue to use the SSO Portal with the current USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V2). However, the Manifest V2 extension will no longer receive new features or bug fixes from i-Sprint.

Q2. What is the difference between USO Chrome Extension Manifest V2 and V3?
New features and bug fixes for the USO Chrome Extension will only be added to the Manifest V3 extension.

Q3. Why can’t i-Sprint provide new features or bug fixes for USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V2)?
To produce the Chrome extension .crx file, i-Sprint would have to upload our compiled source codes to Google for scanning and approval. As Google has stopped accepting uploads using Manifest V2, i-Sprint can no longer provide a new .crx file using Manifest V2.

Q4. Can I still find and install USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V2) in the Chrome web store?
At the time of this notification, it is still available in the Chrome Web Store. However, Google may remove it in the near future (as mentioned in their blog post, which is referenced above in the Background section).

Q5. Can I still install USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V2) using the .crx file provided by i-Sprint?
This depends on the Chrome version used. At the time of this notification, it is still possible to install the Manifest V2 extension using the .crx file provided by i-Sprint. However, in newer versions of Chrome, Google will disable the installation of Manifest V2 extensions.

Q6. Do I need to upgrade the AM server or USO Client to use the new USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V3)?
You do not need to upgrade the AM server to use the new USO Chrome Extension (Manifest V3).
As for the USO Client, you do not need to upgrade it if you are using USO Client versions 5.6.2.0013-GA-E11 and above.

Q7. Why doesn’t i-Sprint upgrade the current USO Chrome Extension from Manifest V2 to V3? Why does i-Sprint release 2 versions?
There are many existing users using the current Manifest V2 extension. In order to minimize changes and the potential impact of such changes, we decided to release 2 versions. However, once our customers complete the transition from Manifest V2 to V3, i-Sprint will eventually remove the older extension.