Chrome on Android Will Now Automatically Save Some Articles Offline in India

Jun. 21, 2018

While Jio has made mobile data more affordable, Google has focused on Wi-Fi based connectivity at stations and other public places to bring internet to the masses. The result is that a lot more people are using Google’s services and apps such as YouTube, Chrome and others.

After launchinglighter “Go” versions of its popular apps, Files Go and Datally specifically for the Indian market, Google is adding an awesome new feature in Chrome for Android for users in India and a few other markets. Chrome will nowautomatically download and save offline versions of articlesyou’re most likely to read.

Now, when you connect to a free, unrestricted Wi-Fi connection, Chrome on Android will automatically download latest blogs and news articles in the “Articles for you” section. These are the articles which Chrome routinely curatesbased on your web browsing patterns. With the new feature, users will be able to access articles even without internet access.

The feature is beinglaunched in 100+ countries, including India, Nigeria, Brazil, Indonesia, where a lot of users face patchy network conditions. These articles and the pictures added in the article are automatically archived. Videos, on the other hand, are not archived as they would eat up storage quickly.

The articles available offline are marked by a small tick inside a circle and can also befound within Downloadsin Chrome. Since the list is self-curated, there is not much that you can do with it.

One drawback of the feature is that it willbloat your smartphone with cache, and besides slowing down Chrome it can be troublesome for those using budget handsets. It might also make those who don’t use Chrome to read articles feel bullied by Google.

But for those who are hooked to their smartphones and Chrome for their daily link reading can rest easy as the whole deal just got a lot easier. For example, Chrome can automatically download articles when you are at home in the morning, leaving you to read news even offline on your commute. Now isn’t that something?