Version 71 of Chrome will arrive in December

Google Chrome is the American tech giant's browser that is hugely-popular. Chrome is regularly updated by Google, with new numbered versions of the client arriving roughly every six weeks. Before it introduces new iterations, Google typically details forthcoming features for the browser ahead of an official rollout. Google has insisted version 71 of Chrome, that is expected to arrive in December, will show warnings for certain websites that offer subscription services.

The Mountain View firm has emphasised warnings will appear on pages that have "insufficient mobile subscription information" in an attempt to prevent users from taking on "surprising charges". Explaining the forthcoming change, Google said: "Every month, millions of Chrome users encounter pages with insufficient mobile subscription information. "Surprising charges that come from unclear communication are a poor user experience. That’s why starting from Chrome 71 (December 2018), Chrome will show a warning before these pages, so that users can make informed decisions when signing up to mobile based subscription services. "Users will be offered the choice to proceed to the page or go back if they were unaware that they were entering a billing page."

Google used an example of a site asking for a user's phone number and explained how such a simple action could result in high phone bill charges. The entire effort from Google is directed at the mobile version of Chrome to help "users understand when they are going through a billing flow". Google has created a list of "mobile billing charges best practises" that outlines its list of criteria that should be met when a site is attempting to charge users for subscription services. The American tech giant declared users should "easily" be able to see the lists of costs they are incurring and that fee structures should be "easily understandable".

On the warning page the user has the option to proceed or to go back to the previous page

Chrome is available on desktop, smartphone and tablet platforms