Google Chrome to Show More Safety Warnings on Insecure Sites Starting October 2026

Google is stepping up its online safety measures once again. Starting October 2026, Chrome will automatically enable its “Always Use Secure Connections” option for all users, issuing visible warnings when visiting websites that lack HTTPS encryption.

Currently, Chrome already shows a “Your connection is not private” alert if a site’s HTTPS setup is misconfigured. But with this upcoming update, warnings will also appear for any website that does not use HTTPS at all, further tightening user security online.

HTTPS — short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure — ensures encrypted communication between users and websites, shielding sensitive information from hackers and malicious entities. While Google began offering HTTP page warnings back in 2021, users had to manually opt in to see them. Now, the browser will take that decision out of users’ hands by defaulting to a safer browsing mode.

According to Google, around 95 to 99 percent of web connections are already made via HTTPS. “This level of adoption is what makes it possible to consider stronger mitigations against the remaining insecure HTTP,” the company stated in its announcement.

However, Google also noted that the “largest contributor to insecure HTTP” connections comes from private websites, which often face technical hurdles in obtaining HTTPS certification. “HTTP navigations to private sites can still be risky, but are typically less dangerous than their public site counterparts,” the company added.

Before the global rollout, Chrome users with Enhanced Safe Browsing enabled will begin receiving these security warnings starting in April 2026. Google confirmed that users will still have the option to turn off the feature by disabling the “Always Use Secure Connections” setting in Chrome’s preferences.

With this move, Google aims to make browsing safer and more transparent for users worldwide.