Compressing the data that is downloaded from the internet means saving network bandwidth and, theoretically, opening sites faster. This compression works through a proxy (an intermediate server) that receives the data, compresses it and returns it to the user. Network bandwidth saving is essential when browsing with smartphones and tablets using a more limited mobile connection, but it is also useful when browsing the internet from a PC. For example, it is useful if you surf using your mobile phone as a hotspot or through those mobile solutions with limited monthly traffic.
To compress internet traffic, the best solution, until some time ago, was to use the Opera web browser where, in the options, you could enable the compression mode (in previous versions it was Opera Turbo).
Now you can also activate data compression on Chrome, to save bandwidth and browse faster, thanks to the Data Saver function.
1) Turn on Data Saver in Chrome for Android and iPhone
When data compression is enabled, Chrome's bandwidth management system is able to reduce data usage by up to 50% while surfing the web, both on Android and iOS devices. This feature also allows you to protect yourself from malicious or virus-infected web pages. DNS calls are made by the proxy, while images are converted to WebP, making them up to 80% smaller.
A bit like Opera Mini, data compression uses a Google proxy from which internet browsing passes so that every web page visited is first compressed by this proxy and then loaded onto the mobile phone. Starting from the Chrome 73 version, the HTTPS sites are no longer excluded from the "Data Saver", however, keeping cookies and data transmitted remains private. Google Chrome for Android indicates if data saver is active with a banner that says if a Lite version of the page has been loaded.
To activate the option in Chrome for Android and iPhone you must press the Google Chrome menu button, then go to Settings and activate the Data Saver under the Advanced section.
2) Turn on Data Saver in Chrome on PC
The data compression mode on Google Chrome for PC, which was provided by the Data Saver extension, cannot be done anymore and it is a pity.
The Google Data Saver extension for Chrome used Google's data compression proxy service to optimize pages before uploading them to browsers. The extension also supported HTTPS sites.
Data compression works quite well, but if you are using a fast connection, website loading may take a fraction of a second longer than before. The opposite happens instead if you use a slow connection, where you should notice an improvement in loading thanks to data compression . An interesting consequence of this proxy is also that thanks to the Google proxy all blockages, censorships and obscuration of sites not visible in Italy are bypassed, such as, for example, VK.com.
Once the extension is installed, a new icon appears in the extension bar at the top right that allows you to quickly enable and disable data compression. There are no options, but you can control how much data traffic you save directly from an internal Chrome page.
After browsing a bit, open this chrome: // net-internals / # bandwidth address on a new tab to find out how much data was saved, in total by kilobytes and as a percentage, during the session. Savings depend a lot on the type of sites you visit, but usually it should be between 10% and 20%.
READ ALSO: Consume less internet data on 3G / 4G traffic and WIFI (Android and iPhone)
