Extension developers can trigger update checks from js, via chrome.runtime.requestUpdateCheck(). Throttling on this API is 1 per 5s, so an extension can in principle check for updates 17k times per day per user; we have detected one extension that triggers 700 million checks per day across their userbase, which is a lot.
Original feature request: Issue 88945
Antony says:
I'll update the documentation to strongly suggest that developers *not* use the API except in very limited circumstances:
1) When they have something like a backend server component and they've actually determined via eg an XHR that there should be a new client version available (and even then, they still shouldn't use this unless it's really critical that all clients all use the new version; eg something like a multiplayer game)
2) As a result of a user action, eg in something like a "report bug" UI where they have the user click a button to check that they are running the latest version
John says:
I propose, then, that we limit to one programmatic on-demand check until the next background update check or until the next browser restart or extension reload after update. The user should be allowed to check via the developer-check button on the extensions page without restriction.
Comment 1 by mevissen@chromium.org
, Apr 1 2016