Google Chrome now lets you mute those annoying autoplay videos

Google Chrome just made surfing the web way less annoying.

Chrome developers announced Thursday that the newest Chrome update, Chrome 64 Beta, will allow you to mute annoying autoplay videos. This is one of several features intended to help users circumvent obnoxious advertisements in the new update, reports Gizmodo.

To use the feature (once you've downloaded the new update), click the green lock icon next to the url on the page you're trying to mute. In the drop-down menu next to the sound icon, select "Always block on this site."

After that, never again will that website blast music or voiced from annoying ads when it's not welcome.

The feature is one of many features included in the new Chrome release intended to make web browsing a safer place, despite certain kinds of intrusive advertising.

The browser now comes with a built-in pop-up blocker for websites that make "close" buttons on pop-ups hard to find (such as third-party video hosting websites that disguise ad buttons as "play" buttons). And because of a number of new developer tools and APIs, it's now much more difficult for malicious sites to redirect you to other sites, even if they don't employ pop-ups.

Google also released a tool for developers to check whether any of their sites' practices will be blocked by the new features.

This is apparently exactly what users wanted. "1 out of every 5 user feedback reports submitted on Chrome for desktop mention some type of unwanted content," reads Google's blog post about the new update.

This is just the latest step in Google's crusade against advertisements. The company has already cracked down on ads on its mobile browser: Chrome Canary allows users to block ads that the browser deems "intrusive."

While it is somewhat ironic that the search giant -- which happen's to be the world's largest advertising company -- is cracking down on online ads, the update will certainly improve your browsing experience.