Google Chrome for Android is the default browser for this operating system. Basically because they both belong to Google. So whether you like it or not, on your Android phone installed you will see this browser by default. The good news is that it has a good selection of functions that will make you surf the internet in complete comfort.
It may not be as versatile or configurable as its desktop big brother. For example, it does not yet support extensions, available in other browsers for Android. However, little by little it has been incorporating new functions such as showing videos in the foreground while browsing, grouping tabs or deactivating the audio of the videos when they are played without permission.
Let's see ten examples of tricks and options to consider if you want Google Chrome for Android to give it its all when you browse the internet with your smartphone.
Save data with Chrome's basic mode
The mobile data lasts less and less. For many data that you contract with your telephone company, based on watching videos from YouTube or TikTok , series on Netflix , listen to music on Spotify and play online, the data evaporates before time.
While browsing the web you also consume mobile data. And Google Chrome for Android wants to help you not consume so many with its basic mode. When you activate it, “some of the web traffic may pass through the Google servers before being downloaded to your device. If the page is slow to load, Google servers will simplify it so that less data will be downloaded to your device ”.
To activate the basic mode of Chrome you will have to click on the More menu in the upper right corner. Then tap on Settings> Advanced settings> Basic mode . When activated, if you want to see a page outside the basic mode, just click on Basic> Load original page .
Browse more fast loading pages before
If your mobile connection is not as fast as it should be, you can help Google Chrome for Android to try to load the pages a little faster with the pre-request or pre-load function. The Google browser will preload links that it expects you to visit shortly.
To activate this option, you will have to open Google Chrome, click on the More menu in the upper right corner and then go to Settings> Privacy . There you will have to activate the option Preload the pages so that navigation and searches are faster .
Shortcuts in your starting screen
You may not have enough space to fill your phone with apps. Or you may visit pages that do not have an application for your smartphone. Whatever your case, sometimes it is better to visit a website than to open its official app.
So instead of having apps on the Android home screen, you could add links or shortcuts to those pages to open them directly instead of opening Google Chrome for Android first.
To add a shortcut to your home screen, open Google Chrome, visit the page you are interested in linking to, click on the More menu and then on the option Add to home screen . It's that simple.
Change tabs with a simple gesture
One of the advantages of smartphones and tablets is that, thanks to their touch screens, we can perform actions by placing our fingers or moving them in a certain way. Or put another way, thanks to gestures we can do things faster.
Google Chrome for Android also takes advantage of some gestures to make everything simpler. One of those gestures is used to move through the open tabs .
To do this, you will only have to slide a finger from side to side of the address bar. This way you will see how the selection of the open tabs changes until you find the one you are looking for.
Faster and parallel downloads
If you are used to downloading files from Google Chrome for Android, you may want the downloads to be faster. The speed of the mobile connection plays a role, but there is more to improve that speed. For example, enable Chrome parallel download .
To activate this option, you must open Google Chrome and type the address chrome: // flags to open a list of hidden options. Among them, you will find one with the name Parallel downloading or Parallel downloading .
Once activated, Chrome will divide the files to download into several parts that will be downloaded simultaneously. This trick increases download speed, something the best desktop download managers do.
Group your tabs to keep them organized
Among the most recent news of Google Chrome for desktop stands out the possibility of grouping the tabs . Android also benefits from this feature. This will make it easier for you to manage several tabs at the same time and organize them so as not to get lost in the chaos.
To group tabs in Google Chrome for Android you will have to click on the tabs button to see which ones you have open. Then, click on the More menu and on Group tabs . Finally you will have to mark the tabs of the same group.
If you don't see the option Group tabs you will have to activate it from chrome: // flags looking for Group tabs. Once activated, you will be able to group tabs on Android.
Disable the Autoplay of videos and ads
For years, some pages have included videos or advertising in video format that are reproduced as soon as the page loads. This implies that, even if you have the tab in the background, you will hear the audio of the video .
The solution is to disable this automatic playback, known as Autoplay. To do this you will have to open Google Chrome for Android, click on the More menu and then on Settings> Site Settings . In Sound , uncheck the option enabled by default.
Close-up videos with Picture-in-picture
The Picture-in-Picture, Picture in Picture or PiP function, translated as Picture in Picture, allows you to watch videos while doing other things on your smartphone, such as continuing to browse the web. This is useful if you are watching a tutorial or listening to a music video .
Google Chrome for Android includes this feature. To use it you have to check that you have it activated. It is in Settings of Android. There, you should go to Applications and notifications> Advanced> Special application access . Inside Image in image , you must choose Chrome and activate it.
From now on, when you watch a video in Google Chrome for Android, if you press the Home button, the video will float in front of the application you have open.
Save pages to PDF
There are many ways to save a web page that has caught your eye. You can save the link in Favorites, print it on paper or save it in PDF.
To save a page in PDF, just open it in Google Chrome for Android, click on the menu More> Share> Print . In the drop-down menu to choose a printer, choose the option Save in PDF .
In the preview you will see how many pages will be saved in the PDF and how the result will be. A practical way to save interesting content in case it disappears from the internet.
Enlarge the pages with Force zoom
Although smartphones compete with each other to see which one has the largest screen , the years are unforgiving and sometimes your eyesight cannot correctly read what that giant screen shows. Or, simply, your smartphone is smaller than it should be.
To solve this problem, you can enlarge what appears on the screen. And in Google Chrome for Android, you can expand the content of a web page. However, not all pages allow this, so you will have to force them to do so .
From the More menu, in the upper right corner, we go to Settings> Accessibility . Next to Text wrapping you can change the size of the text. And to force all pages to allow this magnification, activate the option Force zoom .
