Chrome for Android can now save up to 70 percent of your data with Data Saver mode

By Robert Nazarian December 1, 2015

chrome android data saver news google app os — bloomua/123rf

Trying to load websites on your mobile device when utilizing a slow connection can be a chore. You end up wasting needless data as you constantly refresh pages only to end up in frustration. The situation is even worse if you’re on a limited data plan.

Users of Chrome for Android will be happy to know that its Data Saver mode has come to the rescue. Data Saver mode not only saves precious data, it speeds up your experience.

Once the mode is enabled, web pages will load without images, resulting in a savings of up to 70 percent of data. You can still load images later if you want by tapping individual ones or selecting all of them at once.

The Data Saver mode on Chrome for Android isn’t new. Google launched the feature last year for both Android and iOS, but at that time it only saved 50 percent of data. It would convert images to the WebP format to make them more compressed and less data hungry. Google was able to pick up an extra 20 percent by eliminating images altogether with this new update.

This feature is most important for emerging markets, and that’s why Google is launching it in India and Indonesia first. Google did say that other countries will follow suit soon.

Google didn’t mention if the update will be made available to iOS devices, but we assume it will at a later date. iPhone and iPad users can still use the older Data Saving mode for a 50 percent savings though. Apple does have something similar called Ad Blocker for its Safari browser, but that’s more about eliminating ads.

To enable Data Saving mode in Chrome for Android, touch the Menu, followed by Settings. Tap on Data Saver under Advanced, and slide the switch to On.

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Robert Nazarian

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Robert Nazarian became a technology enthusiast when his parents bought him a Radio Shack TRS-80 Color. Now his biggest…

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