Android "Data Saver Mode" For Chrome Might Also Block Ad Images
What may be Google's most important update to their Chrome web browser for Android devices in years has just been revealed. This update allows a "Data Saver Mode" for the web browser, one that will allow you to browse the internet without images. Google suggests that you'll be able to "save even more data – up to 70 percent" by removing "most images" while you're "loading a page on a slow connection." Simple as that. This Data Saver might even end up blocking some ads on the mobile web.
In the gif (made into a short YouTube video) below, from Google, you'll notice that this demonstration of the Data Saver Mode stops the one advertisement on the webpage Google is visiting. This is strange, as Google does not mention such a block. It could just be the result of the Data Saver blocking all images – such a result could have big effects on host sites ad revenue.
In the Chrome version of the Data Saver (extension), Google enacts a slightly different system. In that version of the release, Google saves pages to their own servers before loading them for you. Our average data "savings" with that extension is at around 40%.
Below you'll see some information from Google's Chrome Help about Chrome's Data Saver. Here they list some of what to expect when working with Data Saver.
With Data Saver turned on:
• Some websites might not be able to accurately determine your location.
• Some images might look a little fuzzy.
• Internal websites, such as your company's intranet sites, might not load.
• Sites that your mobile carrier uses to authenticate and bill you might behave unexpectedly. For example, you might have trouble logging in to your mobile phone provider's website.
• Local settings will be ignored if you manually modified your /etc/hosts file.
According to Tal Oppenheimer, Product Manager for Google Chrome, "After the page has loaded, you can tap to show all images or just the individual ones you want, making the web faster and cheaper to access on slow connections."
Oppenheimer also notes on the Google Chrome Blog that the option to enact Data Saver will be popping up in India and Indonesia first, "with additional countries in the coming months."