Google to add four features to News to help users with lighter connections

Google has announced four new core features for News that aim to make the platform run smoothly across all devices.

Specifically, the four features will make sure that devices running on a lighter connection, either because they’re from an older generation or they’re experiencing a weaker reception.

The four features are as follows:

• Articles can be saved for consuming in offline mode, easily downloaded over Wi-Fi for reading later
• Images will be compressed to fully load with a single tap, while videos and gifs will not auto-play and data will be cached and saved on your device
• Newscasts (previews of a story) will become more text-focused to save data
• Videos automatically open in YouTube Go (which is not available in Canada) and don’t autoplay in the app

All of these features will take effect automatically and without the need for any setting to be switched on.

Google says the new features will roll out to all users around the world “over the coming weeks.”

Source: Google