Lazy loading isn’t a new idea in web development. The concept is straightforward: delay loading heavier page elements until lighter content has already appeared. This approach allows users to interact with a webpage faster, improving overall performance and experience.
Since 2019, Chrome and other browsers built on Chromium have supported lazy loading for images and iframes. These elements only load when users scroll close to them, reducing initial page load time and saving bandwidth.
Now, Google is taking this feature a step further. The company is currently testing expanded lazy loading capabilities that include video and audio elements. In other words, multimedia content embedded within HTML video and audio tags will also be deferred until needed.
While videos and audio files may not be as commonly used as images or iframes, they still play an important role on many websites. By extending lazy loading to these elements, Google aims to further optimize performance and resource usage.
This new enhancement is expected to roll out with Chrome 148 on both desktop and mobile devices. Since the feature is being integrated into the Chromium codebase, it will likely become available in other Chromium-based browsers as well, including Microsoft Edge.
