If you hadn’t noticed today, don’t worry — that’s the whole idea. Google updated Chrome to version 59 on Mac, Windows and Linux overnight, and chances are if you go look now, you’ll find that your Chrome has updated itself in the background. Well, that roll-out continues, and now Chrome 59 is on its way to your Android device as well. Headline features of this release include faster page loading, less memory usage and the usual range of stability and security patches.
What’s under the hood making this happen? A new JavaScript engine is responsible for page load times and reduced memory usage — around 10 to 20% faster according to Google’s measurements of page load times over the last twelve months or so.
Another new feature, though you won’t have seen many of them yet, is support for Animated PNG images, or APNG files. These are like animated GIFs which are well known, but with support for 24-bit colour and 8-bit transparency too, which will lead to some creative meming in the future I’m sure.
Chrome 59 should show up on your phone in coming days, but you can check the Play Store for updates whenever you like.
