Posted in: Android, Web Browsers

Google to adopt Pointer Events API in Chrome to reduce scrolling lag on Android

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Google revealed on its developer forum that the company intends to switch to Pointer Events API from the current Touch Events across the board on all versions of Chrome. This has the benefit of increasing compatibility with multiple input devices and reduce the scrolling lag on Android.

The Pointer Events specification was first introduced by Microsoft back in 2012 for Internet Explorer and was quickly adopted by W3C as a web standard due to its superiority over the Touch Events specification. Pointer Events allows the use of multiple input tools other than a mouse, such as a stylus or a finger, common on modern devices.

Apple and Google have been using Touch Events until now, with Google initially dismissing the advantages of Pointer Events. The company has since then come around. On its developer forum, developer Rick Byers said, “Based on the feedback we’ve received, and the productive collaboration in the Pointer Events working group, I now believe we should implement this API in Blink.” Blink is the open source rendering engine that Google created based on WebKit for Chrome.

You won’t immediately see this in the next update but rest assured the changes will be made in future versions, which should improve Chrome’s performance on touchscreen devices.

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