In 2008 Google released the first version of Google Chrome based on Apples WebKit engine. The browser was a remarkable improvement for Windows users which didn't have access to a WebKit browser yet. Since then the WebKit based browsers have become a dominant player on both desktop and mobile devices. In 2013 Chrome switched to a WebKit fork named Blink to allow more freedom for the Chrome development.

Chrome used a frequent release-cycle, producing a new stable release every 6-8 weeks.

The Desktop Browser

Versions 0 to 27

These versions are based on WebKit 525 to 537.36 and in that regard almost identical to Safari.

These versions were released from 2008 to 2013.

Categorized as: desktop_light

Versions 28 to 48

From version 28, Chrome switched to Blink quickly surpassed Safari both in terms of features supported and performance. Though the browsers still has the WebKit marker in it's useragent, it remains permanently at 537.36, and this is no longer indicating the build of the rendering engine.

These versions were released from 2013 to 2016.

Categorized as: desktop_light

Versions 49+

These versions are all based on the Blink fork of WebKit.

It's worth mentioning that Opera also switched to the Blink fork, and is as such a clone of Chrome with a different UI.

These versions were released from 2016.

Categorized as: desktop

The Mobile and Tablet Browser

The mobile Chrome is also know as Chrome for Android. Since version 25 the tablet/mobile Android version has been aligned with the desktop version. On iOS the Chrome browser is based on the built-in WebKit and is thus not really Chrome. The first Chrome for Android was version 18 released in 2012 for Android 4.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to separate smartphones from tablets. You have to know the individual device model markers (model name fragment) to separate them. In that regard it is easier to use the tablet markers for identification, as there is a lot less tablet devices than smartphone devices. Detector will take care of that for you.

Versions 18-27

Version 18 to 27 is based on WebKit.

These versions were released from 2012 to 2013.

Categorized as: mobile or tablet_light

Version 28-48

These versions are all based on the Blink fork of WebKit, following the desktop versions.

These versions were released from 2013 to 2016.

Categorized as: mobile or tablet_light

Version 49+

These versions are all based on the Blink fork of WebKit, following the desktop versions.

These versions were released from 2016.

Categorized as: smartphone or tablet

The Android browser

The Android browser was based on the mobile WebKit fork, until switching to the Blink fork for Android 4.4,  where it also became aligned with the desktop version of Chrome and changed name to Chrome for Android.

The Android browsers didn't come with version numbers, because it used the internal WebView of Android. You could to some extent deduct the version from the Android version – except in the cases where the browser had been modified by the phone manufacturer. Fortunately this is not practiced with Chrome for Android.

Categorized as: mobile or tablet_light

iOS versions

As all Chrome versions in iOS are based on the native WebKit they are not as such Chrome and do not support the same features as the equivalent Chrome version. Instead the feature support is defined by the iOS version.

All iOS versions are indexed along with the Apple Safari versions.

ChromeFrame

The chromeFrame was a nifty plugin for Internet Explorer 6-9, adding an entire Chrome rendering frame. It basically meant turning Internet Explorer into a Chrome browser while maintaining the IE UI. In other words - it looks like IE but renders like Chrome. The project was stopped after version 32.

Versions 5 to 32

These versions were released from 2008 to 2014.

Categorized as: desktop_light