Google Chrome will show fewer site notifications and open tabs faster

Google is working on two important improvements to Chrome that will make the browser more convenient — especially for those who keep dozens of tabs open or are tired of intrusive notifications. The updates will appear on both the desktop versions of Chrome and the mobile version of Android.

Optimizing the work with tabs

Previously, the Chrome browser “froze” when switching to another tab to save resources. At the same time, the browser cleared part of the RAM (the Memory Purge on Freeze function).

However, recent tests have shown that this only slows down the reopening of tabs, since the page has to be reloaded.

Google is now completely disabling Memory Purge on Freeze by default.

• Freezed tabs will remain in memory and will be restored instantly, without a reboot.
• Chrome will be able to “hold” more tabs at the same time, without overloading the processor and RAM.
• System performance does not decrease – this is evidenced by tests on Windows, macOS and Chromebook.

This is great news for users who are used to keeping dozens of sites open – now switching between them will become noticeably faster and smoother.

Chrome will become “quieter”

The second update concerns notifications that are often annoying while browsing sites. Now Chrome will automatically disable notification permissions for sites with which the user hardly interacts.

This feature expands the Safety Check system, which already controls access to the camera, microphone and geolocation. According to Google, less than 1% of notifications receive a user’s reaction, the rest are just distracting and create noise.

After the update, the browser:

• will automatically revoke notification permissions for inactive sites;
• will notify the user;
• will allow you to manually restore or disable notifications through the Safety Check section.

The changes will not affect web applications installed on the device. Google reports that after tests, sites that send notifications less often, on the contrary, receive more attention and clicks.