PSA: Changes to region distribution in the Chrome Web Store

[Oliver Dunk]

TLDR: We are making some changes to the region distribution selector in the Developer Dashboard. Soon, users in any unchecked region will no longer be able to access your item listing page or install your extension.

Hi all,

The Developer Dashboard in the Chrome Web Store allows you to control which regions your extension is available in. Currently, when a country in the selector is unchecked, users in the affected country would not be able to discover the item when searching or browsing the Chrome Web Store. However, they would still be able to see the item listing and install the item if they access the item page via direct link.

Beginning on October 14, 2024 users in any unchecked region will no longer be able to install or access the item listing page for that item, even if they visit the item page via a direct link.

Additionally, we are expanding the list of countries in the region selector and making the control easier and more intuitive to use.

If you would like to adjust the countries to which your item is distributed as a result of these changes, you may do so through the “Distribution” tab of your item in the Developer Dashboard.

Thanks,
Oliver on behalf of Chrome Extensions DevRel

[PhistucK]

This does not affect me at all, but I wonder - will it be blocked based on the location of the user, or based on the location of the store?

For example, Google Play shows you an item if the query string parameter makes it unblocked, even if you are not based in that location.

So can users still see the item if they go to something like - https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/google-dictionary-by-goog/mgijmajocgfcbeboacabfgobmjgjcoja?hl=en&gl=us and see the item if they are in the United Kingdom and the item does not have the United Kingdom country/region checked - or will the geolocation of the user block it (potentially requiring a VPN to access it)?

Also, if you already have the item and you are in a non-allowed country, will it continue to update automatically?

☆PhistucK

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[Zach Warneke]

> or will the geolocation of the user block it (potentially requiring a VPN to access it)?

That's correct, the location check will be based on the user's location and cannot be overridden via a URL parameter or similar. You could use a VPN to get around it though, as you mentioned.

> Also, if you already have the item and you are in a non-allowed country, will it continue to update automatically?

Yes - existing users will continue to get updates, even if they are in a non-allowed country. But if such a user uninstalls the extension, they won't be able to re-install it.

Zach