Chrome for Android has been updated to version 52, bringing faster load times to videos while reducing the battery consumption. Google states that over a billion hours of video is played on Chrome every week, and with a majority of content viewed on mobile devices, the search giant is working to make the overall experience suck less.
The update also lets you view videos with Data Saver mode enabled. The videos will be compressed, but if you’re worried about running out of data on your cellular plan, it is a decent alternative. From the Chrome blog:
With the release of Chrome 52 on Android, video playback has been improved for speed and power efficiency. This means you will see smoother playback and faster load times. Videos will now start playing sooner, instead of pausing briefly before loading, and your battery will last longer.
The Chrome team made a video highlighting the differences in loading times, noting a 5x increase:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67bd3XtY6u8?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=0]
The update is rolling out now (it’s live in India), but as is the case with such things, if you don’t see it yet, hold tight. It’s coming.
