Chrome tips
Interact with emails, phone numbers, and addresses you see online
It’s annoying to copy and paste emails, phone numbers, and addresses to use them in other apps. Safari for iOS turns them into links for reaching out to people or navigating. While Chrome for Android still doesn’t have this nifty feature, there is something similar that beats copying and pasting. When you see a phone number, email, or address, simply long press it. A floating bar with options will appear. The first one will give you the option to use this information with Gmail, the Phone app, or Google Maps.
Enable Tab Groups to keep pages organized
Another convenient feature to keep your tabs better organized is tab grouping. This essentially allows you to make tab folders and keep all your browsing neatly categorized.
- Open Chrome.
- Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.
- Search for “Tab Groups”.
- When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.
- Tap on Relaunch. Also read: 10 best Chrome flags to improve your browser
Horizontal tab switcher
If you still want to use the regular tab switcher, but would prefer something other than the vertical configuration, you can opt for Chrome’s experimental horizontal tab switcher. This will make Chrome’s tab switcher more similar to Android’s app switcher. It is nicer for getting a good look at other pages, and seems better organized.
- Open Chrome.
- Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.
- Search for “Enable horizontal tab switcher”.
- When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.
Swipe to switch tabs
Something as simple as switching tabs can get annoying when it requires a few taps. The experience has been simplified by Google; you can switch tabs with a simple gesture. Swipe from side to side in the address bar area. This action will let you seamlessly navigate all your tabs.
Switch your default search engine on Chrome
Google is considered the king in its category, but if, for some reason you want to use another search engine as default, Chrome for Android gives you the option to switch it.
- Open Chrome.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Select Search engine.
- Select your search engine of choice.
Preload pages for faster browsing
Preloading pages is a Chrome feature that will proactively load sites you are likely to click on. This means a page will often be loaded in the background before you decide to go into it. It makes the whole experience much faster using cookies, but it can also waste data you otherwise wouldn’t use. This is not cool if you are on a tight internet budget, but those who don’t mind wasting megabytes will enjoy the added speed.
- Open Chrome.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu button.
- Select Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Toggle Preload pages for faster browsing and searching on. Also read: How to speed up Chrome for Android
Sync bookmarks, passwords, history, and more across devices
Google Chrome for Android is all about the internet, and therefore, the cloud. Google makes it possible to sync most of your Chrome data across devices. This includes bookmarks, history, passwords, open tabs, credit card info, and more. It will also analyze your usage data to provide better predictions.
- Open Chrome.
- Hit the 3-dot menu button.
- Select Settings.
- Under Account, select Sign in to Chrome.
- Follow instructions to sign in.
- You can now access Sync and Google services to customize options.
Enable Data Saver on Chrome for Android
Not only will this make your browsing faster, but it will also help cut down data consumption. We all know how expensive data can be. Even if you have an unlimited internet plan, most carriers will throttle you if you get too wild with your data consumption. Why not optimize websites for mobile use and save data? How to turn on Data Saver on Chrome for Android:
- Open Chrome.
- Hit the 3-dot menu button.
- Select Settings.
- Select Data Saver.
- Toggle the setting on.
Enable dark mode on Chrome for Android
Developers are bringing dark mode to their Android applications, and it comes as no surprise Google is doing the same. Whether you want less strain on your eyes or just like the look of dark mode, it’s easy to change the look of Chrome for Android.
- Open Chrome.
- Hit the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings.
- Select Themes.
- Select Dark. Also read: Love dark mode? Here’s why you may still want to avoid it
Use Incognito Mode to browse privately
Most people should know what Incognito Mode is, but we thought it was important enough to bring it up just in case. Browsing in Incognito mode will keep your internet activity private. Nothing you do in Incognito mode will be stored in your history or phone.
- Open Chrome.
- Tap on the tab switcher button next to the address bar.
- Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right.
- Select New incognito tab.
- Browse away!
