Coronavirus seems to be testing tech companies, with some pushing out original deadlines to accommodate any chaos the unexpected virus might have caused. 

Google Ads made parallel tracking for video campaigns available in January as an optional feature, giving companies an original deadline of March 31 to make the transition. On Thursday, Google extended the deadline.  

“Given recent global events, we wanted to give everyone extra time to make this transition,” Nicky Rettke, product manager director for Google Video Ads, wrote in a post. “If you’ve already completed most of the work needed to adopt parallel tracking, you are still welcome to finish the process and opt-in. However, that step will not be mandatory until June 15, 2020.”

The feature aims to improve mobile site speed by bringing visitors directly to the landing page while measuring the ad click in the background.

March 31, the original deadline, has been extended.

Google already requires parallel tracking for Search, Shopping, and Display campaigns. Parallel tracking isn’t available for Hotel campaigns yet.

Marketers can switch on the feature by signing on to their Google Ads account and finding the navigation menu — click on All campaigns. Then in the page menu click settings, account settings, tracking and switch next, which leads to parallel tracking.

It’s not entirely clear why Google pushed out the mandatory move. One can only speculate that it’s either to give search companies affected by coronavirus more time to make the adjustments or give Google’s teams, many of whom have been working from home, the time to dot all “Is” and cross all “Ts.”

Delay announcements related to features and products, not just from Google, will become frequent within the next month or two. The industry already has heard about delays in Apple products, Sony Playstation 5, and Microsoft Xbox Series X releases.   

This has already occurred in China, where sites such as Alibaba are taking orders for smart speakers, but delivery has been delayed.

Omdia, a research house owned by IHS Markit, released a report Friday that estimates smart-home device shipments will slow — now projected to reach 603.5 million units in 2020, down from the earlier forecast of 693.8 million.

The company attributes the decline not to orders placed, but delays in shipments.