Browsing the web with Chrome could soon take a smaller toll on your data plan. Google is launching a new version of Chrome for iOS and Android soon that will include an optional setting that it says can reduce the browser's data usage by up to 50 percent. The feature has been rolling out as a test on both platforms for some time now, but Google tells us that with this release it'll finally be available to everyone.

Chrome's "reduce data usage" feature works by compressing webpages on Google's servers before sending them down to your phone. That could translate to longer loading times, but it's a tradeoff that might be worth it for anyone who normally speeds through their mobile data allotment. The update should be available within the next few days, at which point the feature can be enabled from Chrome's settings menu.

The Chrome update will also build in Google Translate on iOS. Like on the desktop, a bar will automatically appear offering to translate a webpage when Chrome detects that it's in a foreign language. Translate already launched on Android last year, but Android users are getting one new exclusive feature today: the ability to create homescreen shortcuts to websites and web apps. Using Chrome's new "add to homesreen" option, Google says that certain web apps can be launched in full screen and will even be displayed discretely in the Android app switcher, letting web apps take on more of a life of their own.