Google Chrome is preparing to expand its lazy loading capabilities by including video and audio elements, building on a feature that has been part of the browser since 2019.
Lazy loading allows web pages to delay loading heavier content until lighter elements are ready, enabling users to interact with a page more quickly.
Since 2019, Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers have supported lazy loading for images and iframes. These elements load only when users scroll close to them, reducing initial page load times and improving performance.
Google has confirmed that it is now testing lazy loading for video and audio elements. This applies to multimedia content embedded within HTML video and audio tags.
While video and audio elements are less common than images or iframes, they are still used across many websites. Extending lazy loading to these elements could further improve page efficiency.
Expected Rollout
The expanded lazy loading feature is expected to arrive with Chrome 148 on both desktop and mobile platforms.
Since the update is being added to the Chromium codebase, it is also likely to appear in other Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge.
