Can some one explain the issue with Google Chrome not updating because it does not supporting Catalina OS?

Re: “ … how would I change the OS …”

The date your Mac hardware was produced generally determines the most recent MacOS it can run.

Follow these instructions to update your Mac to the most recent MacOS which it is capable of running.

Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

Best wishes. 👋

BonnieKane wrote:

Yes it is the answer from Google, just not knowing why Catalana would not be sufficient for Google was the deeper question.

It is hard to say why Google and many other developers no longer update their apps for versions of macOS where Apple has stopped supplying support & security updates. You can ask them to see if they respond.

Probably one of the most important reasons is for the browser to support & take advantage of new macOS features that are not available for older versions of macOS.

Plus there may be other considerations such being able to utilize a single code base to provide versions for iOS as well (I believe Apple just recently is beginning to allow third party browsers to use their own browsing engine on iOS instead of piggy backing onto Apple's WebKit (aka Safari's browser engine).....at least in the EU. Developers don't like maintaining multiple codebases if it is not necessary. Maintaining a code base for older systems can be very time consuming.

I know Firefox is also no longer supporting older versions of macOS except for existing ESR versions and this is occurring at the same time as Google's change. Most other third party browsers are based on either the Chromium or Mozilla browsers.

Another possibility is to utilize newer CPU or other hardware features as well....this is a very common reason for dropping support of older hardware. I would also expect many developers to drop support for Intel Macs as soon as Apple does the same.

Re: “… Starting from version 129, Chrome will cease to support macOS 10.15 …”

It would appear that you already have your answer.

Chrome’s developers have made a normal support cutoff decision of an older OS.

FYI, Catalina indeed hasn’t received a security update in nearly 2-years … again part of Apple’s normal support cycle.

There's hope...

Might try this, it's Chrome Browser without google & without Ads...

https://brave.com/

Mac

• macOS Catalina 10.15 or later

https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021357112-What-are-the-system-requirements-to-install-Brave

The statement from Google is quite clear: They are not updating the version of Chrome for earlier versions of Mac OS.

“I really do not want to use Safari, sorry guys it just doesn't have the same search results.”

Your choice of web browser has no effect on search results. That is, and always was, a result of your chosen search engine.

To be clear as to how “dated” your OS is; since Catalina the following major MacOSs have been subsequently released (or announced):

• Big Sur
• Monterey
• Ventura
• Sonoma
• Sequoia (Northern Hemisphere Fall 2024)

Many of us have encountered “software obsolescence” while our premium, high-quality, well cared-for Apple hardware is still performing like new. 😕

It’s simply one aspect of what have become the industry's “common practices.”

Also:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/127.0.2/system-requirements/

(still supporting macOS 10.15 Catalina).