Google now lets you mute ads that are 'following' you and trials ad blocker on Chrome for Android

Google has rolled out an update that will let users mute "reminder" ads in apps and websites that partner with the company.

The tech giant plans to expand this tool to YouTube, Search and Gmail in the coming months. 

While the "mute this ad" feature has been around since 2012, this update gives the feature expanded reach across more places and devices. 

"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," Jon Krafci, Google's group product manager of data privacy and transparency, wrote in a blog post earlier this morning. 

He explained that as long as users are signed in, the updated tool will mute ads across all their devices, and that the function would appear across more apps and devices that partner with Google to show ads. 

New Chrome

Also this week, Google has released a new version of Chrome which includes a stronger pop-up blocker and the ability to mute sites that autoplay videos permanently. 

While Chrome 64 for web doesn't appear to include an ad blocker, Google has been testing its ad-blocking functions on Android devices. 

An analysis by Ad Block Plus estimates that Chrome will block nine out of 55 of the types of ads the Coalition for Better Ads (CBA) has named 'bad' ads. 

"In total, the new CBA-endorsed ad skimmer will only block 16.4% of the ad types listed in its white paper. In comparison, using the Acceptable Ads standard, Adblock Plus (and other ad blockers) block 51 different ad types, or 92.7% of those ads," the company's director of communications Ben Williams wrote in the post.