Google to bring data-saving LiteVideo support to Chrome for Android

Modern smartphones and 5G networks can easily stream 4K data, but sometimes your wallet can only support 240p resolution.

For those occasions, Google is introducing a new LiteVideo feature to the Chrome browser on Android, part of its bandwidth-saving LiteMode.

The feature would throttle the bandwidth of your video player, forcing adaptive streaming applications to serve you the low rather than high-resolution stream.

The new flag, noticed by TechDows, notes:

“The LiteVideo optimization will help users save data on media streams by encouraging media players to use lower bitrates for LiteMode users.”

At Chromium.org Google notes:

“LiteVideo is a data-saving optimization that simulates low bandwidth conditions by throttling media responses, to allow adaptive MSE Video players to lower resolution and consume less data.”

The feature is automatically deactivated when the user reloads the page or navigates forward and back in the browser.

The new  “Enable LiteVideos” and “Force LiteVideos Decision” flags are in Chromium 86 and besides Android is also available on the desktop versions of the browser, meaning if you have Chrome Canary you can try this out now by flipping the flags at Chrome://flags.