Android Intelligence Advice

6 secret settings for ameliorate browsing in Chrome on Android

Supercharge your smartphone browsing feel with these powerful nonetheless completely concealed options.

Hey. You. Yes, you there — the one with your overly moist eyeballs pointed at the screen. What if I were to tell you lot that that the browser you rely on for all of your web-based exploring on Android had oodles of extra features — top-hugger-mugger settings that'd add awesome powers into your mobile browsing adventures and brand fluctuant your way effectually this wacky ol' spider web of ours meaningfully meliorate?

Well, provided yous're using Google's Chrome browser for Android, that's equally true equally true can be. And best of all, information technology doesn't take much to uncover all of Chrome'south advisedly concealed treasures — if you know where to look.

Continuing on our ever-present theme of digging up subconscious features and out-of-sight time-savers, I idea now would exist a fine time to interruption out my metaphorical spelunker's lid (which is quite some cap, lemme tell ya) and dive deep into Chrome's cloudiest corners. And good golly, are there some spectacular goodies just begging to be unearthed there.

The vi settings on this page will make your Android-based web browsing more powerful, more efficient, and generally just more pleasant. They're all just sitting there waiting to exist found, as well — then really, why not take reward of what they have to offer?

Before nosotros spelunk any further, though, one quick word of alert: All of these settings are part of Chrome's flags system, which is a home for under-development options that are notwithstanding actively being worked on and aren't technically intended for mainstream use. The flags system is meant for skilful users and other similarly informed (and/or insane) folk who want to get an early look at advanced items. It too evolves pretty regularly, so information technology's entirely possible some of the settings mentioned hither may expect unlike from what I've described or even be gone entirely at some point in the non-so-distant future.

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What's more, the flags system has loads of advanced options within it, some of which could potentially cause websites to look weird, Chrome itself to get unstable, or even your ears to first spewing a delightfully minty steam. (Hey, you never know.) And then in other words: Keep with caution, follow my instructions advisedly, and don't mess with anything else you encounter in this area of the browser unless you actually sympathize it and genuinely know what you're doing.

Got all that? Expert. Now, allow's give your browser some spiffy new superpowers, shall we?

Chrome Android setting No. 1: The magic custom shortcut button

This first secret Chrome setting for Android is probably my favorite — 'crusade it's just and so darn useful, no matter how you lot tend to hop around the web on your phone.

Information technology's an extra button that gets added into the pinnacle of the Android Chrome browser and so gives you extra-easy admission to any function you use the almost: sharing, opening up a new tab, or launching a new web search with merely the silky sound of your salamander voice.

If y'all really desire to go wild, you tin even allow Chrome analyze your usage for you and plough the push button into a dynamic command center where the browser automatically decides which of those buttons is about likely to be useful for y'all at whatever given moment and then adjusts itself accordingly.

However you approach it, you'll save yourself the step of kickoff tapping to open Chrome'due south main menu and so clumsily pawing around to find the function you lot need. And if you use some of these functions equally frequently as I do, all those saved seconds can actually add up.

So what are you waiting for? To become that extra option in Chrome on your phone this instant:

  • Type chrome:flags into the browser's address bar.
  • Type the give-and-take adaptiveinto the search box at the top of the screen that comes up.
  • Look for the lines labeled "Adaptive button in height toolbar" and "Adaptive push in top toolbar customization." Tap the box below each of 'em and change its setting to "Enabled."
  • Tap the Relaunch button at the bottom of the screen.

And that's it — you lot did it! (Go ahead and requite yourself a quick pat on the dorsum, you audacious explorer.) Once your Android Chrome app restarts itself, yous can tap the three-dot menu icon in the browser'south upper-correct corner and select "Settings," then expect for the freshly added "Toolbar shortcut" option to configure exactly how your fancy new button volition piece of work.

Chrome Android Settings: Button JR

Make that selection once, and so enjoy having the push button of your selection a single tap away for all of eternity (or, y'know, until Google mucks around with this again).

Chrome Android setting No. 2: A amend Chrome widget

Android's in the midst of a long-awaited widget revival, but ane widget that'south remained woefully underwhelming is the weary ol' widget for Chwome. (Whoops — got carried abroad there. Sowwy 'tour that.)

Chrome'southward widget selection has long consisted of the bromidic options for putting a browser-specific search bar or a bland box showing your bookmarks on your home screen, and that'due south it. Just now, you lot can add 2 far more appealing browser control panels into that mix —if y'all know how to uncover 'em.

Thankfully, y'all're nearly to:

  • Once again, typechrome:flags into your browser's address bar.
  • This time, typewidget into the box on the screen that comes up.
  • See the line labeled "Quick Activeness Search Widget"? Tap the box beneath that bad male child and modify its setting to "Enabled."
  • Become grab yourself a bowl of pretzels and/or cheese poofs. You deserve it.
  • Tap the Relaunch push at the bottom of the screen.

After Chrome restarts, wipe off your snack-encrusted fingies and caput back to your habitation screen. Long-press on any open area to find your device's widget selector. Find and tap "Chrome" in the listing of choices, and you lot oughta then observe yourself facing two snazzy new options for your Android widget-using pleasance:

Chrome Android Settings: Widgets JR

Much more useful than those rusty erstwhile options, wouldn't ya say?

Chrome Android setting No. iii: A more than sensible article-saving system

Google added a handy fashion to save pages from Chrome into a browser-based read-it-later listing a while back. Yippee, right? Certain — it's a squeamish enough concept in theory (though attempt to contain yourself, for cryin' out loud; nosotros've got a ways to get yet). The problem is that by default, the feature is strangely buried and hard to use on Android.

To wit: If you want to save something into your Chrome reading list from your phone, the but way to do information technology is usually to long-press on a linkinside a page and and so await for the selection to add that link into your list.

That's fine and dandy, but what if yous want to save theelectric current page you lot're actively viewing? Vexingly, the Chrome Android browser has no way to exercise it.

Unless, that is, you lot know this play a trick on:

  • Typechrome:flags into the browser's address bar (starting to feel familiar yet?).
  • Blazonread into the box at the height of the screen that comes up.
  • Find the "Reading List" pick, tap the box beneath it, and change its setting from "Default" to "Enabled (with app menu detail)."
  • Tap the blueish Relaunch push button at the bottom of the screen.

At present, anytime you want to save a folio you're viewing into your Chrome reading listing, all you've gotta practice is tap the browser's three-dot card icon — and bam! Right there in that main menu is the obvious-seeming option to add that very commodity straight into your list.

Chrome Android Settings: Reading list JR

Almost painfully sensible, no?

Oh, and when you lot're gear up to find the stuff you've saved, merely tap the 3-dot menu icon in Chrome'due south upper-right corner, select "Bookmarks," and look for the "Reading listing" choice at that place. (If you lot don't see information technology right away, you might have to hitting a back-facing arrow in the upper-left corner of the screen and/or hit your forehead forcefully to initiate a brain reset.)

And speaking of your browser'south bookmarks...

Chrome Android setting No. four: A more modern bookmarks interface

Chrome's bookmarks expanse on Android hasn't gotten much love equally of late. The interface has looked a flake blah, to use the technical term, for quite a while now. But fear not, for Google hasn't forgotten well-nigh information technology entirely.

You can fast-runway your Android telephone into Chrome'due south new-and-improved bookmarks setup by making this quick tweak:

  • Blazonchrome:flags into the browser's address bar.
  • Typebookmarks into the search box on the screen that comes up.
  • Tap the line labeled "Bookmarks refresh" and change its setting from "Disabled" to "Enabled (everything)."
  • Tap the Refresh push button at the lesser of the screen.

After your browser restarts, tap the iii-dot carte icon in its upper-right corner and tap "Bookmarks" in that main Chrome menu. You'll exist greeted with a freshened-up Android bookmark view that doesn't look similar it was last touched in the prehistoric ages — and as an added perk, you lot'll as well notice a new and less ambiguous option for adding a site into your bookmarks within that main Chrome menu.

Chrome Android setting No. five: A web-broad dark mode

Android's had a system-broad Dark Theme choice since 2019'south Android 10 release, merely you know what'due south weird? Even when your device is in its fully darkened state, pages in your phone's spider web browser are still equally bright every bit 24-hour interval (or, um, even so bright they unremarkably are).

Every bit of now, y'run across, Android's dark mode doesn't accept any bear upon on the spider web as it appears within Chrome — only on the menus and other areas around the bodily page you lot're viewing. And that'due south a bit of a bummer, since a big part of what you practise on your telephone probably revolves around what'south within your browser's borders.

But expect! Chrome actually does have a way to brand the entire web responsive to Android'southward Dark Theme. It just isn't activated or available past default. Once you detect and flip the switch, though, whatsoever page you open on the spider web volition automatically transform itself whenever your telephone'southward dark way is enabled. See?

Chrome Android Settings: Dark mode JR

(Insert wild oohing, ahhing, and optional (though generally non encouraged) undergarment throwing hither.)

Here's the trick:

  • Assuming you have Android x or higher on your telephone, open up up Chrome and type chrome:flags into the browser's address bar.
  • Type darken into the search box at the summit of the screen that comes upwards.
  • See the item labeled "Darken websites checkbox in themes setting"? Tap the box beneath it and change information technology from "Default" to "Enabled."
  • Cackle once whilst thinking about darkness, just for skilful measure.
  • Tap the Relaunch push at the bottom of the screen.

There'south merely one more than step to cease. Once Chrome restarts itself, you'll have to go into the browser's settings and actually enable the new option we only uncovered:

  • Tap the iii-dot carte du jour icon in the Chrome's upper-correct corner and select Settings.
  • In the main Chrome settings menu, tap "Theme."
  • Under the "System default" option, yous should see a new checkbox that says "Apply dark theme to sites, when possible." Cheque it!
  • Make your way out of that carte du jour and back to the main browser expanse.

And at that place ya have it: From hither on out, anytime you activate your phone'southward Dark Theme, any pages you're viewing inside Chrome volition automatically follow suit.

Chrome Android setting No. 6: A more than powerful Incognito mode

This last Chrome Android tip is a scrap more niche in nature, simply if you lot've ever felt the need effectually information technology, y'all'll absolutely appreciate its arrival.

It's a simple switch that removes Chrome's built-in policy of prohibiting screenshots while y'all're in the browser's Incognito fashion — a somewhat puzzling rule that typically makes it impossible to capture anything within an Incognito tab in Chrome.

So say, for case, you're using Chrome's Incognito mode to expect at something without beingness signed in. Or maybe you lot're relying on it to cheque on a certain search without having the term get connected to your Google browsing history. Or maybe y'all're using it for, erm, sure other undisclosed purposes.

Whatever the instance, there are bound to be moments when yous want to snap a screenshot of something in that sort of state. And now, you can.

Here'south all at that place is to it:

  • 1 concluding time, blazonchrome:flags into your browser's address bar.
  • Typeincognitointo the search box on the screen that comes up.
  • Notice the line labeled "Incognito Screenshot" and change its setting from "Default" to "Enabled."
  • Tap the Relaunch push at the bottom of the screen.

And that's information technology: You can now capture screenshots of Incognito windows whenever your privacy-browsing centre desires.

But remember: If you snap something accidentally at an (ahem) inadvertent moment, it'due south up toyou to get discover and delete it.

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Contributing Editor JR Raphael serves up tasty morsels about the human side of technology. Hungry for more? Join him on Twitter or sign upwards for his weekly newsletter to get fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday.

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