Chrome has come a long way from being a lightweight Firefox alternative to become one of the most popular web browsers in the world. What sets it apart is its seamless integration with Google’s search ranking algorithm owing to which Google got to shape the way a lot of websites function. Part and parcel of every browsing experience involves random pop-ups and loud audio from auto-playing videos and is easily one of the most major annoyances marring one’s experience.

Over time Chrome has taken several measures to block much of this from happening so that our browsing experience can be less annoying. But, developers were always a step ahead and still somehow managed to implement a few workarounds. It’s now Google’s turn in this never-ending game of chess, and the company has just announced three new changes that will be implemented in the next few releases of Chrome, which address the issues of annoying popups, redirects and fake play buttons.

One of the most common and annoying things to happen while browsing is random redirects. This is no doubt annoying, but it doesn’t end at that. You could very well be redirected to a webpage that tricks you into downloading a malicious piece of software. It typically happens with 3rd-party iframes, which will be blocked in Chrome 64. Users will be shown an info bar instead of the redirect going through (unless that person was interacting with that frame).

Several websites have gotten around pop-up blocking protection by having a link open up in a new tab, and then making the main window navigate to an unwanted website. Chrome 64 will begin identifying this behavior and will trigger an info bar to prevent the main tab from being redirected elsewhere.

The last bit of protections coming to Chrome deals with something we all have had experience with; links to third-party websites disguised as play buttons, download buttons and other controls that seem legit, but are far from it. It is also capable of identifying transparent overlays on websites that capture all clicks and open new tabs or windows which have been proven to be difficult to detect automatically so far. In the latest version, Chrome’s pop-up blocker will prevent sites with a history of such practices from opening new windows or tabs.

This version also adds a new audio muting setting. On Android, heading over to Settings > Site settings will reveal a new Sound menu, where you can mute sites from playing audio (set to Allow by default), as well as add exceptions.