If Google has a favorite service that it doesn't give more attention and care to than others, then it's definitely Chrome. Because not even a month passes without the search giant's branded browser receiving another update. And it would be okay that the patches were pass-through, as in the case of Android, but after all, Google developers are trying over and over again to surpass themselves and expand the capabilities of Chrome even more. As a result, even the mobile version of the browser has gradually evolved from being a browser itself into an advanced tool for working with the Internet. But what awaits him in the next update.
Google Chrome will receive an update with a ton of new features
How to make a link with a QR code
Perhaps the coolest feature of the updated Google Chrome will be the function of turning links into a QR code. This innovation allows you to share a URL to a specific site with a nearby user without having to send a link via a messenger, as is the case today in the vast majority of cases. Similarly, you can reset the link from your computer to your smartphone. In general, super-convenient.
- Go to chrome: // flags;
- Turn on Sharing Hub and Share QR Code items;
Create a link to the QR code and scan it using your smartphone
- Go to any site, open the context menu and click 'Share';
- In the window that opens, select the QR code and scan it with another device.
Nearby Sharing in Google Chrome
Despite the fact that Chrome is a browser, its desktop version has always reminded me of an operating system in an operating system – its functions were so wide. But when it seemed that there was nowhere else to extend the capabilities of Chrome, Google made another surprise to all users in the form of Nearby Sharing support. This wireless technology just debuted on Android and is now making its way to all other platforms thanks to its presence in Chrome.
- To enable Nearby Sharing, download a test version of Chrome Canary;
- Go to chrome: // flags and enable Nearby Sharing;
Nearby Sharing will appear in Google Chrome
- Select the file you want to transfer on your smartphone and confirm the transfer;
- Go to chrome: // nearby to view received files.
Improve autonomy in Chrome
Google Chrome has always been accused of overspending on available resources, which made the device running the browser use up much faster. In the next update, Google developers have decided – at least partially – to fix this problem. To do this, they implemented a JavaScript timer in Chrome, preventing the browser from continually refreshing web pages running in the background.
Google decided to save the resource of the computer on which Chrome runs
This timer will count down exactly one minute and only then will it allow the background refresh of the web page. It would seem that this is not a big deal, but in this way the developers managed to reduce the power consumption of laptops by up to 30% of the baseline. For individual laptops, that 30% translates into a whopping 2 hours of extra battery life. This means that the work was not done in vain, especially when you consider that the timer is not such a significant innovation.
How to overclock Chrome
However, the work on saving resources did not end there. Google has decided that, in addition to reducing battery consumption, it will actually achieve faster browser performance. To do this, a new mechanism has been added to Chrome called Back And Forward Cache, or in simpler bfcache. Despite the fact that work on its implementation began more than a year ago, Google has come to implement it in the browser just now.
The bfcache mechanism caches web pages that the user opened within the same session, holds them in memory and, when returning to one of them, does not reload them, but pulls them in from the cache. Thanks to this, the transition is instantaneous – there is not even a second loading. Google researchers studied the subject and found that 19% of all clicks within Chrome are bounces to previously opened pages. This means that the acceleration of movements between them will benefit users.
Autocomplete in Chrome
The autofill mechanism has been in Chrome for a very long time. Thanks to him, the browser stores logins and passwords in memory and upon entering the site to which they belong, it offers to insert them automatically, without entering anything manually. However, this was the case only with logins and passwords, while the bank details were far from so convenient to fill in. To confirm their insertion, they had to enter the CVC code, which usually no one remembers.
Autocomplete banking details in Chrome will be more convenient
In the next update, Google will add to Chrome the ability to confirm the filling of card account data using biometrics. That is, when initially saving the payment information, the CVC code is still required, however, for subsequent uses it will be substituted automatically after confirmation with a fingerprint, iris or face, depending on the type of verification used on a particular device.