Chrome will now stop Flash Player videos playing in the background as you browse the web
Google’s latest Chrome update will help users who are tired of their battery dying – or computer slowing – when numerous Flash Player videos carry on in the background of websites.
A constant bugbear, Chrome will now pause all Flash Player videos that “aren’t central to the webpage”. So if you are watching a video, even if it’s Flash, it will play as normal. But those other little videos that populate many a webpage will pause, needing the user to start it.
“If we accidentally pause something you were interested in, you can just click it to resume playback,” said Tommy Li, software engineer and ‘Power Conservationist’ at Google.
The update is planned to “significantly” reduce power consumption, allowing you to surf the web longer before having to hunt for a power outlet.
It’s also one of the rare times some information about Flash comes up that doesn’t, immediately, annoy people.
