In Google Chrome 90 and onward, the browser will start loading websites via HTTPS by default when no protocol is explicitly specified, or a URL is partially entered by the user. Currently, Chrome will try to load a domain via HTTP if you type an incomplete URL for it. E.g. if you type winaero.com into the address bar, it will first load http://winaero.com.
This will be a subject of change in Chrome 90. Google today made an announcement that Chrome will prioritize HTTPS requests, assuming that most sites these days are available via the secure and encrypted connection.
The new defaults will go live for both Android and desktop browser versions. The company said that it will also eventually apply to the iOS version of Chrome.
You may be curious what will happen if a website doesn't support HTTPS yet. In that case, Chrome will switch to HTTPS automatically. It will also do that if a website has a certificate error.
The change is generally positive. These days most websites already use HTTPS by default or have an HTTPS version. By assuming HTTPS as the default option, Chrome will open sites faster, as it won't need to perform a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS any longer.
Google considers HTTP to be insecure and is actively promoting HTTPS in its browser. With the release of Chrome 90, there will be almost no chance for a user to accidentally open a website over an insecure connection.
It is worth mentioning that it is possible to enable the new behavior in the current version of Google Chrome and see how it will change your daily browsing. Check out the following blog post: Enable HTTPS for typed domains in Google Chrome.
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