Google cracks down on annoying ads, Chrome 64 won't spare websites that autoplay videos

Google has just introduced a set of new features that allow users to have even better control over ads they see every day on its platform, on websites and in apps.

Many people find "reminder ads" extremely annoying because of their repetitiveness. After looking at a product on a particular website, many people notice that ads for it chase them across the web, encouraging them to come back to the site and buy the product, even if they aren't interested in it or have already bought it.

As a solution for it, Google has added a new control within Ad Settings that will enable users to "mute" reminder ads in apps and on websites that partner with it to show ads.

Under Ad Settings, a new interface now shows the ads that are currently being targeted at you, as well as the ones that have already been muted. The feature, therefore, now allows you to see information about reminder ads and control which advertisers can show you those ads.

"We plan to expand this tool to control ads on YouTube, Search, and Gmail in the coming months," Google said.

The next feature is more of an update to the "Mute This Ad" functionality Google introduced in 2012, allowing users to block ads they don't want to see.

"Mute This Ad" has now been updated in two ways. First, the tool will now recognise user feedback on any device where the user is signed in to his or her Google Account. If the user mutes an ad on a smartphone, it will also be muted on laptop, and vice versa.

Second, users will soon see the updated "Mute This Ad" tool in more places as Google is expanding this control to work across more apps and websites that partner with it.

"Millions of people use Mute this Ad on a daily basis, and in 2017, we received more than 5 billion pieces of feedback telling us that you mute ads that aren't relevant. We incorporated that feedback by removing 1 million ads from our ad network based on your comments," Google said.

New Chrome version

Google has also released a new version of Chrome with the ability to permanently mute websites that autoplay videos.

The new Chrome 64, available on Windows, Mac and Linux, allows users to right-click the offending tab and mute the entire website once and for all. It replaces the previous "mute tab" feature which was only a temporary solution.

In addition, Google has also added High Dynamic Range (HDR) support to Chrome 64 for Windows users. However, it will require users to have a PC with the Fall Creators Update, an HDR compatible monitor and graphics card.