Google is introducing a new Chrome browser feature for Android and desktop users that automatically turns off notifications for websites that you’re already ignoring. Chrome’s Safety Check feature already provides similar functionality for camera access and location tracking permissions.
This new auto-revocation feature builds on a similar Android feature that already makes it easier for Chrome users to unsubscribe from website notifications they don’t care about with a single tap. The feature doesn’t revoke notifications for any web apps installed on the device, and permissions will only be disabled for sites that send a lot of notifications that users rarely engage with. Less than one percent of all web notifications in Chrome currently receive any interaction from users, according to Google, often making them more distracting than helpful.
“We’ve already been testing this feature. Our test results show a significant reduction in notification overload with only a minimal change in total notification clicks,” Google said in its announcement. “Our experiments also indicate that websites that send a lower volume of notifications are actually seeing an increase in clicks.”
Chrome users can choose to turn off the auto-revocation feature entirely, or can preserve specific site notifications by either visiting the website to enable them again or re-granting permissions via the Safety Check feature. We have asked Google to confirm when this feature will be rolling out.