Fed up with Chrome sucking power from your device? New features could help
And they are easy to implement too
by Britta O'Boyle · T3Quick Summary
Google has announced a number of new Chrome features that could help performance.
The features include a Performance Detection tool that will send you a notification showing background tabs that might be using extra resources and give you a quick fix.
There are a couple of browsers out there, but Google's Chrome and Apple's Safari are probably the most popular. Unfortunately, while Chrome has a number of excellent features built into it, from being able to access all your tabs from whatever device you're on, to being able to search using Google Lens, it can get a little power hungry.
Apple's MacBook's offer great battery life, and Windows PCs are catching up too now with AI PCs from the likes of Samsung and Lenovo all offering battery improvements, but you still don't want something like your browser eating away at those precious hours.
Thankfully, Google has announced new performance features for Chrome that should help you get the most out of the browser. The new features were revealed on Google's The Keyword blog and picked up by Android Authority, and they include a Performance Detection tool. This sees Chrome proactively identify potential performance issues and give you a solution.
You might get a "Performance issue alert" notification appear to speed up the tab you are running, with the pop up showing which background tabs might be using extra resources. The pop up will have a "Fix now" option, which will deactivate the other tabs and give you a speedier experience. If that doesn't sound like something you'd appreciate, you can turn off the Performance Detection feature in settings.
The Memory Saver feature within Chrome has also been updated, now offering three modes: Moderate, Balanced and Maximum. In Moderate mode, tabs will be deactivated based on your system's needs, while Balanced mode considers your browsing habits and system needs. The Maximum mode will deactivate tabs quicker than Moderate or Balanced. You can select the mode you want to use by heading to the Settings menu in Chrome and selecting "Performance".
Last but not least, there's also now more personalisation available within Chrome's performance controls, like specifying websites that should always remain active. All in all, the new features should make for a better overall browser experience and we are definitely here for that.
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