Google is working to bring a significant speed boost to Chrome

Google Chrome
(Image credit: Monticello / Shutterstock)

Everybody wants their online experience to be as swift as possible, and while the speed of your internet connection is a large factor in this, so is your web browser. Google is aware of this, and is working to implement a feature in the desktop version of Chrome that will help to dramatically speed up site navigation.

This speed-boosting feature is already found in the mobile versions of Chrome. Known as 'back-forward cache' or BFCache, it has gone down well with Android users, hence Google's decision to bring it to the desktop

Although BFCache won't work miracles, it should help to significantly reduce page load time when skipping back and forth between pages you have already visited. There are some concerns about how it will work with pages that offer dynamic content, but site developers have the option of using code to opt out if they want.

In documentation about the feature, Google explains: "Back-forward cache is a browser feature which improves the user experience by keeping a page alive after the user navigates away from it and reuses it for session history navigation (browser back/forward buttons, history.back(), etc) to make the navigation instant. The pages in the cache are frozen and do not run any javascript."

Pedal to the metal

Although Google has already implemented back-forward cache in Chrome for Android, the company isn't simply flipping a switch for the desktop version. Instead, the feature will undergo a gradual rollout and a period of testing to ensure that it works as expected, and that there are no major compatibility issues with sites.

Testing is starting in Chrome 92 and – as ever – the best way to get your hands on new features such as this is to get involved in testing out the Canary build of the browser. More information and the download are available here.

Via Windows Latest

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Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her on Twitter and Mastodon.

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