• Tech
  • Apple

See Ya, Safari: Chrome for iPhone Is About to Get Faster

1 minute read

Good news for people using Google Chrome on iPhone and iPad: Apple is effectively lifting the speed limits on third-party browsers in iOS 8, allowing all of them to enjoy the same performance as Safari.

Currently, Safari uses a performance-boosting JavaScript engine called Nitro to render web pages. Other browsers, such as Chrome, haven’t been allowed to use this engine in the past, making them slower. That’s going to change in iOS 8, according to 9to5Mac. Even if you don’t use Safari, you may notice a bump in other apps that have built-in browsing functions, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Realistically, the policy change will produce just a modest uptick in performance. (I’ve used Chrome in iOS for years, and can’t say it’s ever felt sluggish.) Still, it’s nice to see Apple open up a bit, on this front as well as others.

iOS 8 is coming this fall.

[9to5Mac]

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com