How to enable Chrome for Android's data compression proxy
Google is currently working on an Opera Turbo like feature for Google Chrome for Android to speed up web browsing by redirecting data through a proxy that is compressing it before it is delivered to the user device. The feature is currently experimental which means that you can only find it in the beta version of Chrome for Android, and there only as a feature that you need to explicitly enable before it becomes available.
First thing you need to do is make sure you have the latest version of Chrome Beta for Android installed on your tablet or smartphone. Just head over to Google Play using the link above to install the latest version of the web browser. If you have already installed it you should get options to update the browser to the latest version if that has not been done already.
Start the latest version of Chrome beta afterwards and enter chrome://flags into the browser's address bar. You should see the "Enable Data Compression Proxy" setting right at the top. Tap on the enable link and click on the relaunch now button that appears afterwards to restart the browser.
Chrome will automatically use the proxy from that moment on to compress data before it is transferred to the phone or tablet. Note that this does not affect your phone's upload or download capabilities in any way, only that the data that you receive in Chrome is smaller in size than it usually would be.
You are probably wondering about the savings that you can achieve with the help of the proxy. This depends a lot on the websites you open. Generally speaking, you will see a bandwidth reduction in the 30% to 65% range in the browser. You can open chrome://net-internals/ in the browser and check the actual savings under the Bandwidth listing here.
Here you see the savings in Kilobyte and in percentage, as well as the original data in Kilobytes that you would have received without use of the proxy.
The data compression proxy in Chrome comes in very handy, especially in situations where you are connected to the mobile network as it is often slower than advertised anyway. You can speed up the transfer of data to your phone this way. Note that your data is redirected through Google's proxy in the process.
Advertisement
Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.
He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.
Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?
Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?
Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.
The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.
It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.
> The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…
Sadly, I have to agree.
Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.
If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!
We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.
because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…
“Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.
How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.
Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.
Sorry posted on the wrong page.
such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time
I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.
I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S
Quoting the article,
“As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”
Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?
I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.
@John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]
This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.
> Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.
Firefox did this long before Safari.
Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.