Google Chrome is introducing a new feature to automatically manage notification permissions for websites that users no longer engage with. This change targets sites that send frequent notifications but receive little interaction, aiming to reduce notification overload and improve the overall browsing experience. The update revolves around managing notification permissions more efficiently, ensuring users only receive alerts from relevant sites.
Currently, notification permissions remain active even when users stop interacting with certain websites. However, Chrome’s new update will identify sites with low user engagement and a high volume of notifications. Once detected, Chrome will automatically revoke notification permissions for these underused sites. Importantly, this measure will not affect notifications from installed web applications, ensuring users maintain control over apps they actively use.
Google’s product manager overseeing this update highlighted that less than one percent of all notifications actually prompt user interaction. Despite this, notifications can still provide valuable and timely information. Thus, the feature applies only when both engagement is low and notification volume is high, preventing unnecessary interruptions without eliminating useful alerts.
This initiative builds upon Chrome’s existing Safety Check tool, which previously disabled permissions for features like camera and location when unused for an extended period. Now, Safety Check will also notify users when notification permissions are revoked, giving them a chance to restore permissions manually if they choose. Users can re-enable notifications by revisiting the relevant sites or through the Safety Check settings.
Early testing of this feature showed promising results. Chrome reported a significant decrease in notification overload while maintaining nearly the same level of user clicks on notifications. Moreover, websites sending fewer notifications actually experienced an increase in user engagement. This indicates that users respond better to fewer, more relevant alerts.
This update reflects a broader industry trend toward improving digital user experience by reducing unnecessary interruptions. By managing notification permissions more thoughtfully, browsers like Chrome aim to balance usefulness with minimizing distractions.
Looking ahead, Google plans to continue refining this feature based on user feedback and evolving web interaction patterns. This automatic management of notification permissions marks a step forward in creating a smoother, more controlled browsing environment for millions of users worldwide.
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