Chrome 56 Provides In-Browser FLAC Audio Format Support

Chrome 56 should be released soon and is currently in beta but when it is released, it will feature FLAC audio codec in browser. According to 9to5 Google, support for FLAC in Chrome has been requested since 2011 with momentum gaining in 2015. However, work did not get underway until last September and its final release coincides with Firefox 51 getting the feature later this month.

This update provides a faster way to access files in FLAC format with MAC being the biggest to enjoy this due to lack of native support for the format. Android added support for FLAC staring with 3.1 Honeycomb while Windows has apps that are capable or playing audio in the said format.

The news here is that even you may no longer need third party tools to play such a format as you can now do so from the Chrome browser directly.

Chrome 56 comes as Chrome 55 was launched late last year to deal with memory consumption. Google says the update would cut memory consumption by up to 35 percent. Chrome 55 for Android meanwhile features Downloads which allows you to save web pages, video, music among others for further viewing offline.