Google is going to sunset a feature of the mobile Chrome browser next month that has been helping to reduce the amount of data we download and load web pages faster for eight years.
Back in 2014, Google launched Data Saver, also known as Chrome Lite mode, for Chrome on mobile devices. It worked by diverting web page data through a Google server before downloading it to your device. That way, each page can be simplified/optimized so less data is required for the page to load quickly.
Anyone on a contract with limited data and high fees for going over that limit appreciated having the option of Data Saver. However, as The Register reports, eight years on and Google doesn’t think Data Saver is necessary anymore.
In a support post announcing the feature is being removed from Chrome on March 29, which is the release date for Chrome M100, a Chrome Support Manager explained the reasoning behind Data Saver disappearing:
“In recent years we’ve seen a decrease in cost for mobile data in many countries, and we’ve shipped many improvements to Chrome to further minimize data usage and improve web page loading. Although Lite mode is going away, we remain committed to ensuring Chrome can deliver a fast webpage loading experience on mobile.”
Either Google’s optimizations were enough that Data Saver no longer makes a difference, or the overhead of running the service outweighs the data savings being made now, especially considering how much more data mobile users enjoy as part of their contracts compared to 2014.
