Google's Chrome browser has 1 billion monthly users on Android and iOS

Google's Chrome mobile browser has broken the 1 billion monthly user threshold and is the latest segment of Google's ecosystem to enjoy mass appeal. Chrome on iOS and Android now joins Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail and Google Play as billion monthly user properties.

Chrome has been around on the desktop now for eight years. It released Chrome version 50 for Windows, Mac and Linux last week, and updated Chrome for iOS to version 50 yesterday. While it isn't know what the exact split of Android vs. iOS users is, Android likely has the lions share of numbers simply because it is the dominant mobile OS as well as having Chrome as the default browser on devices.

Other fun facts, Google revealed that Chrome now loads 771 billion pages each month, its auto-complete search feature helped users avoid typing 500 billion characters. Google'estimates this feature has saved 186,528 years of typing.

Source: Google via ZDNet

Google Chrome hopes to save you from fake, malware-infested download buttons

It's probably happened to you before. A fake ad or login page for your bank or a certain service you use shows up and you unwittingly click on it without realizing you've actually installed malware into your computer. Google Chrome, through its Safe Browsing feature, wants to help you avoid falling prey to these social engineering ads with a new feature for Chrome. The browser now flags these sites with fake download buttons and fraudulent updates and ads meant to mimic actual branding of certain sites.

This move is part of Google's new social engineering policy introduced back in November. If your Chrome browser detects types of social engineering on a site, such as a fake log-in screen, you'll be redirected to a Chrome warning page (we know you've seen these before) to tell you to proceed with caution. If Google accidentally flags your site, you can head over to a help page to remedy this.

Source: Google Online Security Blog | Via: The Next Web 

Chrome update for iPad gets iOS 9 multitasking features

Google updates its Chrome browser on iOS platform to bring some key iOS 9 features into its program. The universal iOS app for Chrome gets features like Split View, Slide Over, and Picture-in-Picture—perfect when you need to multitask. However, you probably need to remember that Split View only works on the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and soon-to-be-released iPad Pro. The iOS app also gets autofill feature you’ve seen in the desktop version. This works both for the iPad and iPhone.

Source: Google Chrome Blog | Via: Engadget | Download: Apple App Store (Free)

Chrome to start blocking Flash ads on September 1st

Constantly bugged by Flash ads popping up in your Chrome browser? Starting September 1^st, Google Chrome will make Flash-blocking a default setting for its users. Google’s encouraging its advertisers to switch to HTML5 so they won’t be affected by this. For users though, this might better the browsing experience on Chrome and maybe even help it use up less power. Chrome is known to be a power hog so hopefully this change might make things better.

Source: Google | Via: Engadget