Android users using Google Chrome on their device have probably noticed that the browser starts to open faster. This improvement was made possible by the introduction of a new feature called Freeze Dried Tabs. According to Google, Chrome on Android started running 20% ​​faster on average.

Every user knows that web apps start slower than regular apps. One reason is that it requires a lot of background work, including rendering the landing page, loading resources, running the JavaScript, and actually rendering the page. Initially, the developers came up with a solution that downloads a screenshot of a web page before it is fully accessible. This made the launch process faster, but users could not interact with the page. Then Google developed the concept of glorified tabs by adding a certain level of interaction. Basically, it’s a lightweight version of a web page, similar to a screenshot, with the ability to scroll, zoom, and follow links. Once the actual web page is available, Chrome seamlessly switches to it.

Using sublimated tabs, Chrome’s launch lag was reduced by 20% (from 3.4 seconds to 2.8 seconds on test device). Figures may vary depending on download device and site. In addition to speeding up startup, such tabs consume less memory. Since changes have been made to Chromium, this feature should be available for other browsers based on that.