Back in April last year, Google introduced a new "Lite Mode" in Google Chrome which replaced the browser's Data Saver feature. The Lite Mode aimed to improve Google Chrome's performance on budget Android devices and reduce data consumption by compressing pages on the company's servers before pushing them to a device. Now, in an attempt to further increase data savings, Google is adding a new LiteVideos feature to Lite Mode in Chrome for Android.

According to a recent report from Techdows, the new feature is expected to make its way over to the stable channel with Google Chrome 86 and it will help users save more data by instructing media players on individual websites to stream at the lowest resolution possible. To do so, the Lite Videos feature will simulate "low bandwidth conditions by throttling media responses" and therefore allow "MSE Video players to lower resolution and consume less data."

The report further notes that the new feature won't be limited to the Android version of the browser and it will also be available on Chrome for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS. The experimental flags to enable the new feature are already available on the Chrome Canary channel and you can try it out for yourself by downloading the app from the Play Store link below.

Google Chrome LiteVideos flags

Once you have the app installed, you'll have to head over to chrome://flags, enable the "Enable LiteVideos" and "Force LiteVideos decision" flags, and then restart the browser for the changes to take effect. With the flags enabled, Chrome will automatically instruct media players to use lower bitrates and run videos at the lowest possible resolution once the LiteMode is turned on. It's worth mentioning that the feature will be automatically deactivated when you reload a page or navigate forward/back in the browser. The feature is expected to hit the stable channel later this year in October.

Chrome Canary (Unstable) Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
4.4
Download

Story Via: Techdows