O Google Chrome 96 in its stable version was released this week. Surprisingly the browser release cycle has decreased from six weeks to 4 weeks. Perhaps this leads users to think that now there will be fewer changes with each update, this is not what happened in Chrome 96, which brings us interesting improvements, especially for the desktop version. Keep scrolling the page and check out all the news that arrived in the update.
Chrome 96 for desktop: what's new?
We have listed below all the main news of the latest desktop browser update.
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retrograde cache
When using buttons to advance or rewind pages on a website, the user may notice a certain slowness in the speed with which this is done, especially when accessing addresses that consume more computer resources. In Chrome Update 96, a new cache was implemented that automatically saves the websites you've recently accessed. Even though this causes a higher consumption of RAM memory, it ends up saving time when accessing websites that are visited more frequently.
While this new feature is interesting, not all websites are 100% compatible with it. Also, it is important to mention that this implementation has been around since Chrome 86 mobile version.
Improvements for Progressive web apps (PWAs)
Progressive web apps (PWAs) are increasingly popular, but there are still differences between them and regular apps (those that the user needs to download and install on the operating system). In the desktop version of Chrome 96, Google introduced the option for PWAs to register as custom URL handlers. Basically, this means that URLs for PWAs, such as Twitter's, should be opened more reliably than normally accessing the site in the browser.
Chrome 96 mobile: what's new?
Below you can see what's new in the latest version of Google Chrome for mobile devices.
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Dark theme option for specific websites
Reported by user "Leopeva64-2" on Reddit, the new feature to present dark mode on specific sites, previously only present for testing, is now in its stable version. To activate it, just access the following address:
chrome: // flags / # darken-websites-checkbox-in-themes-setting
Upon accessing the page, it will be possible to determine which sites the user wants the dark theme to be applied. It is important to note that this functionality is different from using the dark theme of a website. While this conversion to dark browser theme works for all websites, there is a chance that some content on the page may be unreadable or appear corrupted.
Zoom our sites
Another novelty that arrives in the mobile version of Chrome 96 is the site zoom tool. This functionality is similar to what we've had for a long time in the desktop version of the browser. In the case of the Android app, the feature is still hidden, but can be accessed through the following address:
chrome: flags # enable-accessibility-page-zoom
After enabling the functionality, simply change the zoom level by clicking on the lock icon (or arrow) on the left side of the website URL.
Other changes
- Preserve PNG file metadata: previously, Chrome performed an automatic cleanup of PNG files pasted to the system clipboard. This action could, in some cases, cause unwanted behavior as other browsers do not do this.
- New photo memories tab: in the desktop version of Chrome 96 we have a flag to enable photo memory on a new tab page.
