Opera Max, Opera‘s data-saving proxy for Android, has long allowed you to save some of your previous mobile data by compressing text, video and images when you surf the web or use apps like Instagram on your phone. What Opera Max couldn’t do, however, was compress HTTPS videos, and that meant no support for the likes of YouTube and Netflix.
With today’s update, however, that’s changing and you can now also use Max to save some bandwidth while you watch all of your favorite cat videos on YouTube and Ancient Aliens mockumentaries on Netflix.
Opera says those data savings can reach up to 50 percent without a significant loss in video quality (though if you look closely, you will likely notice a bit of bonus pixelation). The company also argues that its service can reduce buffering. Data savings depends on the type of network and device you are on.
To save bandwidth, Opera Max routes all of your traffic through its own network and then compresses the data before it’s sent to you. That means all of your data flows through Opera’s servers, though. Opera says it takes its users’ privacy very seriously, but if that’s something that worries you, then you probably want to give Max a pass.
Opera Max launched in February 2014, but it’s worth noting that the company long offered a similar service for its desktop browser in the form of the Opera Turbo mode.
If you’re on an unlimited connection, the Opera Max probably isn’t for you, but if you’re on a metered connection, it’s definitely worth a try.