Image: © Aleksei/Stock.adobe.com
Google said the new features will make Chrome use up to 40pc less memory and reduce energy use when a device’s battery gets low.
Google is updating Chrome with new performance modes, to make the browser run smoother and more efficiently.
The company said the Energy Saver mode will be activated on Chrome when a device’s battery level reaches 20pc, in order to prolong battery life.
When in this mode, the browser will limit background activity and visual effects for websites with animations and videos.
The Memory Saver mode, meanwhile, is designed for users that have large amounts of tabs open at once. This mode frees memory from tabs that aren’t currently being used, so the active tabs operate more smoothly.
“This is especially useful if you’re running other intensive applications, like editing family videos or playing games,” said Google Chrome group product manager Mark Chang. “Any inactive tabs will be reloaded when you need them.”
Chang said this feature means Chrome will use up to 40pc and 10GB less memory to keep tabs running smoothly for users.
“From the beginning, we designed Chrome for speed,” Chang said. “But performance is more than just delivering a fast browsing experience.
“When these tools roll out to you, you’ll be able to turn off either feature or mark your most important websites exempt from Memory Saver.”
Google plans to release both of these features in the coming weeks globally for Windows, MacOs and ChromeOS users.
In other Chrome developments, Google announced earlier this year that it will stop supporting Chrome for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 next year.
The plan to stop supporting these ageing systems is “tentatively scheduled” for 7 February 2023, which is the expected release date of Chrome 110.
Google also has plans to phase out third-party cookies from its browser. However, this plan has been pushed back multiple times now and is currently scheduled for 2024.
A survey from the Compliance Institute suggested that 32pc of Irish organisations are not prepared at all for a cookie-less future, while 56pc are only somewhat prepared.
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