A respin in the context of WebRTC refers to a re-release of a Chrome browser version. When a critical bug or security issue is discovered after a Chrome release, Google may issue a respin – an updated build with the same major version number but an incremented build number.
Why respins matter for WebRTC
Since libWebRTC is embedded in Chrome, WebRTC bugs can trigger respins. This is significant because:
- A WebRTC regression affecting call quality or connectivity could prompt an urgent respin
- Respins are expensive for Google (they require full QA and deployment), so they are only done for serious issues
- The possibility of triggering a respin means WebRTC changes go through extensive testing via Finch experiments before being enabled by default
Developers debugging WebRTC issues should note the exact Chrome build number (not just the major version), as different builds of the same version may have different WebRTC behavior.
