Google is starting to push out an update to the Chrome on Android browser for mobile devices. The improvements are intended to help users who may be challenged by conditions like slow 2G level connections or expensive high speed data. The improvements impact features like the Data Saver, how downloads are handled, content discovery.
Data Saver is not a new feature in Chrome on Android. The technology already compresses images and text by up to 60% when enabled. Google has expanded the data compression engine to now include video as well. For MP4 formatted videos, Chrome on Android will now compress the files by up to 67%.
Google also worked on loading pages when the browser detects a slow connection. Now, HTTP web sites will be optimized to just display essential content and features. Google says the optimization routines can save up to 90% of the data that would normally be used for page loads. A nice side benefit of this compression is that pages will load two times faster.
For downloads, Google realized one challenge users may have is that they start a download and then lose their connection. The browser will now keep track of downloads that were in progress when a connection is lost and will resume the download automatically once service is restored.
Google also added a single place for all downloaded items to be stored that can be accessed from within the browser. This will make it easier for users to get to content that they had saved for later or when they knew they would be offline.
Finally, Google's search and customization features that users may be familiar with from Google Now is coming over to the browser in a limited fashion. When you open a new tab in Chrome on Android, not only will you be presented with pages you frequently open, but scrolling down will reveal content that Google thinks you may be interested in. As their animation shows, the cards for this content look very much like the same cards found in Google Now. One feature that Google says the browser gets is the ability to learn what you are interested in based on searches and pages you visit. This will keep the new content fresh.
Both the Data Saver and content discovery features will be available once users update the Chrome on Android browser. The new download tools are currently limited to the beta channel, but Google says they are coming soon to the public release.
source: Google
I like Chrome. I really do. And I like the features they are adding. BUT, I feel my data is unsafe when using it. I often get popups/redirects/hijacks (which would be fixed from ability to adblock). The feature that I’m waiting for is extensions.