Google’s Chrome browser has had memory system-sucking difficulties for a long time, especially when numerous tabs are open. Still, the world’s most popular browser got an upgrade today to maximize device battery life and memory utilization.
Memory Saver & Energy Saver are two new performance options coming to the desktop version of Chrome with the latest update from Google. Chrome, according to Google, uses 30% less RAM and can help you get the most out of your device’s battery life.
“We’ll be rolling out both Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes over the next several weeks globally for Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS,” wrote the group product manager for Chrome, Mark Chang in the company blog.
When the updates arrive, they will function automatically unless the user actively disables them or designates certain websites as “essential” in order to keep them from being affected by Memory Saver.
In Chrome, the Memory Savor setting is accessible via the three-dot menu in the browser’s top right corner.
In the past, Chrome’s excessive system memory usage has reduced the amount of RAM available for use by other applications. Chrome had trouble caching data for speedy access because of the issues, defeating the purpose of the RAM.
“From the beginning, we designed Chrome for speed. But performance is more than just delivering a fast browsing experience,” wrote Chang.
Because Google Chrome sandboxes browser processes, a user who starts Chrome with the Google search box present ends up with two Chrome processes running — each demanding its own RAM.
“Add another tab and you get three,” wrote a senior editor at AndroidCentral Jerry Hildenbrand last year in his post. “Add the 50 or so tabs you end up opening by the end of the night and you have 51, each running semi-independently from the other and each taking up system resources. That’s only the beginning. Each extension starts another process. Chrome does some aggressive preloading of web pages so your internet browsing feels nice and snappy.”
Due to the issue, Chrome consumes massive amounts of RAM.
Google says that even with “a number of tabs open,” the new Memory Saver option makes the browser perform more smoothly.
Memory Saver functions by releasing memory from inactive tabs, prioritizing the use of that memory for currently active web pages. “This is helpful if you’re also using other resource-heavy programs, like video editing software or a game console. When you need them again, any dormant tabs will be reloaded,” Chang explained.
As an added bonus, Chrome now has an Energy Saver option that reduces the browser’s background activities and the graphical effects of animated and video-rich websites to conserve battery life. Google says that when a device’s battery drops below 20%, it will enter Energy Saver mode.
