Google extends Chrome on Windows 7 support for enterprise users

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Google is looking to help its enterprise customers deal with the setbacks 2020 has dealt. The company announced its support for Chrome on Windows 7 is extended until at least January 15, 2022. Google initially planned to revoke support by July 15, 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic has businesses realigning some planned IT projects, including migrating their systems to Windows 10.

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New Google Chrome extension displays detailed ad-tracking data

Google has released a new Chrome extension that shows you how advertisers are targeting you. Ads Transparency Spotlight displays the number of ads loading on a page, what advertisers and ad tech companies are present, and what personal data is being used to serve advertisements (like demographics, remarketing, interests, location, etc.). It also shows links to the privacy policy of companies and services present on the page, how each collects and stores data, and why the ads are displayed on a page. According to Engadget, the extension might work differently in regions outside of the US. Some European users can see the advertisers and number of ads, but not the personal tracking info.

This early version of the extension only shows the information on Google-served ads that used Google's Ad Disclosure Scheme. It's designed to help advertisers share how they're using your data. This new extension is part of Google's push to improve its ad transparency and avoid additional privacy-oriented legislation (like the European Union's GDPR laws).

Source: 9to5Google

Chrome for Android tests scheduled downloads

It looks like Google Chrome for Android is trying out scheduled downloads. The feature shows up in the latest Chrome Canary 86 version, but as 9to5Google notes, it doesn't seem to be fully operational yet. But what it does is let you set a time and date for when a download within the mobile browser should start. And it looks like it would even let you specify when a download begins based on your Wi-Fi connection. When you set a download schedule, Chrome will get a "Scheduled for later" tab where you can manage your downloads. If this feature gets a wider release, it's going to be useful for when you want to save data and battery life but have to download a file. 

Chrome tests feature that may extend battery life by up to 2 hours

There is an experimental feature in early Chrome 86 builds that will help address a common issue that laptop users face. It could save you up to two hours of battery life on a browser known as a battery hog. It'll reduce energy use by closing unnecessary JavaScript timers and trackers when a tab is open in the background. It's being reported that it can save two hours of battery life in a test with 36 background tabs and one black foreground tab open. That might seem like an extreme case, but some people do have that many tabs open.

As expected, the gains aren't quite that extreme if you're streaming a YouTube video there. The feature will reportedly be available both on the desktop and mobile. But it isn't known if it'll be ready by the time the new Chrome version is out. Or Google might scrap the feature. We'll keep you posted for any updates.

Source: TheWindowsClub, Via: Engadget