Google has released Chrome 57 into the wild. The new browser includes a new power saving CPU throttling feature that Google claims will lead to 25% fewer busy background tabs and will help reduce power consumption.
Starting in version 57, Chrome will throttle individual background tabs by limiting the timer fire rate for background tabs using excessive power.
Chrome has focused on improving the user experience by throttling tab performance for many years. Like many browsers, Chrome has limited timers in the background to only run once per second. Via the new throttling policy, Chrome 57 will delay timers to limit average CPU load to 1% of a core if an application uses too much CPU in background. Tabs playing audio or maintaining real-time connections like WebSockets or WebRTC won’t be affected.
Google says the changes in Chrome 57 going forward will lead to fewer busy background tabs, which typically consume up to a third of Google’s desktop computer power consumption. Chrome has long been considered a CPU and battery hog, leading Google to make power usage efficiency a major component of its long-term development strategy.
Google Chrome 57 for Mac is now available for download. Existing users can update their browsers by clicking on “Chrome” -> “Preferences” -> “About” in the Chrome Menu.
Google on Tuesday also announced an update to the Chrome browser for iOS. Version 57 brings a new “Read Later” function to the mobile browser, allowing users to save articles to a Reading List for viewing at a later time, even if an Internet connection is not available.
