Chrome for Android now loads video faster with less battery drain

Google is introducing a new version of Chrome for Android this week that includes some important changes to the way video content loads in the mobile browser. Google has tweaked Chrome for Android version 52 to improve playback speed and power efficiency. Web videos should start playing quicker, instead of pausing to load initially.

Google claims "your battery will last longer" as a result, and HTML5 video also now works with Chrome's Data Saver Mode to save up to 50 percent in data by streaming a lightweight version of the video. Chrome for Android 52 should be rolling out this week.

Google is also planning similar changes for the Chrome desktop equivalent. Microsoft and Opera have both been pointing out Chrome's power issues on Windows, but Google is fixing parts of them. "Since the beginning of the year, we've made a 33% improvement in video playback GPU/CPU power consumption on Windows 10," says a Google spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. "And by Chrome 53, we feel confident that we'll be at parity with other browsers in terms of power consumption for the majority of video playback on the internet." Chrome 53 is scheduled for release early next month.

• ViaEngadget
• SourceGoogle Chrome Blog