Chrome For Mobile Update Brings Data Compression, Page Translation And App Shortcuts

The latest iteration of Google's Chrome for Mobile browser — both the iOS and Android varieties — will be bringing some new handy features with them. Among them, and perhaps most notably, will be data compression for both of the mobile OS apps, allowing iOS and Android users to reduce the amount of data their mobile browsing habits use up, something that brings Safe Browsing with it in tow.

Says Google, accounting only for US users, over a fifth of adults browse the Web primarily from their mobile device, something that can eat its way through a fair bit of data if not often done in conjunction with a WiFi network. The trend is holding strong among adults located elsewhere, as well, and is likely to increase in time. To complement this, the next version of Chrome for Mobile across both platforms will allow for bandwidth management and data compression.

This feature allows users to cut their data usage by up to 50-percent, says the Internet giant, saving precious megabytes in one's data plan. The feature will be made available under Settings -> Reduce data usage alongside a familiar toggle on/off button. A handy graph, featured in the image above, will give a visual idea of bandwidth usage, as well.

Beyond this feature, iOS users will be getting a page translation feature via Google Translate, allowing a foreign language webpage to be translated with the click of a button much in the same way desktop users will already be familiar with. And, on the flipside, Android users will be getting their own perk with the update, in this case application shorts to specific websites that can be added to one's mobile homescreen.

The updates will be coming over the next few days.

SOURCE: Google Chrome Blog