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Chrome for Android can now save more data by blocking website images

Chrome for Android can now save more data by blocking website images

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Google created the Data Saver mode in Chrome to reduce the amount of data that gets used up when you're browsing the web. It also makes slow internet connections much more tolerable since you're pulling down webpages that've been "optimized" for data efficiency by Google; they're up to 50 percent smaller than what you'd get loading the regular website with Data Saver switched off. But now Google's taking another step to save data for those times when you're stuck with slow speeds or trying to avoid hitting your monthly smartphone data cap: it's going to stop loading web images entirely. "We're updating this mode to save even more data — up to 70 percent! — by removing most images when loading a page on a slow connection."

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Obviously this could make for an awkward browsing experience when you're visiting image-heavy sites, so Google's also letting users pull up whichever images they want. Once a page has finished loading, you'll have the option to either show all images and see the page as it would normally appear, or load images on an individual basis. Google says its Android users in India and Indonesia will be getting the updated Data Saver mode first, and it'll be rolling out elsewhere "in the coming months." Data Saver can be toggled on or off by visiting the settings menu for the mobile version of Chrome.