Activate experimental features of Google Chrome on Android to multiply the capabilities of the web browser.
Whether it is the desktop or mobile version of Chrome, Google’s web browser incorporates a number of hidden functions that can be activated with a fairly simple manipulation.
Responding on behalf of flags, these experimental functions allow Google to test new features that sometimes end up being integrated natively into Chrome, but which can also be removed without any form of trial after updating the browser.
Moreover, if the Mountain View company authorizes their activation through a hidden menu, it does not guarantee that these functions are perfectly functional. It happens that some flags in development, still at an early stage of experimentation, compromise the stability of the software.
But they sometimes contain very good surprises and increase the browser’s capabilities tenfold.
Access to these hidden Chrome functions is always done in the same way. In the address bar of the browser, type chrome: // flags and validate by pressing Enter.
You will then only have to search for the name of the flag directly in the field provided for this purpose, then to set the default value to Enabled, before relaunching Chrome to validate your changes
1. Activate the horizontal tab manager
If you are the type to multiply the tabs open in Chrome on your Android smartphone, the native management of these may not be the most optimal, especially to have a preview of what the page displays.
Never mind, Google Chrome has an alternative mode, which offers a horizontal display, in the form of a carousel.
To take advantage of this, find enable-horizontal-tab-switcher in the Search Flags field, expand the menu showing Default, and change the value to Enabled.
Press Relaunch Now to restart Chrome to apply the changes.
The tab navigation module should be changed from vertical to horizontal display.
2. Display a reading mode
Reading the content of a long article on the screen of your smartphone can quickly become tiring. For greater reading comfort, Google Chrome displays on certain pages the possibility of using a dedicated Reading mode, which is responsible for reformatting the article in a less loaded layout.
It is possible to force Google Chrome to offer you this option, regardless of the site visited.
From the flags home page, find Reader mode triggering, and change the Default value to All Articles. Restart the browser by pressing Relaunch Now.
Then return to the page of an article. A Display simplified view banner should appear. Press it to activate reading mode. A pop-up opens with a reformatted version of the article, cleaned of all elements that could interfere with reading.
3. Activate Dark Mode
Since version 74, Chrome on Android has a dark theme that is not available by default.
To take advantage of Chrome’s Dark Mode, you must first activate the display of its dedicated menu in the Chrome settings, by activating the Android Chrome UI dark mode flag.
The Dark Mode menu then appears in the browser settings, allowing you to take advantage of the dark mode in the Chrome interface.
4. Display the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen
With the increase in the size of screens, little hands are finding it more and more difficult to navigate comfortably on the web. On Chrome, the address bar, and all navigation buttons, are placed at the top of the interface by default.
By activating the Chrome Duet flag, the Chrome navigation buttons should be moved to the bottom of the screen.
5. Display a preview of a tab
Rather than opening a page in a new tab, it is possible to display a quick preview, just long enough to read the necessary, before returning to the current tab.
This ephemeral tab can be accessed by activating the enable ephemeral Tab flag. Then restart Chrome by pressing Relaunch Now.
Once the browser has relaunched, long press on a link, then in the context menu, choose Preview page.
A tab, represented by a banner displayed at the bottom of the page, appears. Drag it up to preview the link, and tap the cross to close it.
6. Use the gestures to go to the previous / next page
Going back to the previous page or going to the next page on Chrome can only be done natively using the dedicated keys. But Chrome includes another navigation mode, not activated by default, and which allows you to go to the next page or return to the previous page simply by sliding your finger on the screen.
To do this, search for Overscroll history navigation in the search field of the flags page and enable the feature by setting the Default parameter to Enabled. Restart Chrome by pressing Relaunch Now.
Now take the test: browse several pages in a row, and slide your finger to the right to return to the previous page, and to the left to go to the next page.
7. Speed ​​up downloads
If you are losing patience when downloading large files to your smartphone through Chrome, this hidden feature should be satisfied. Chrome has a flag to speed up downloads by initiating multiple simultaneous downloads.
To take advantage of this, search for Parallel downloading in the search box on the flags home page, and enable it by setting the Default parameter to Enabled.
Then restart Chrome by pressing Relaunch Now to commit the changes.
8. Delete the contents of the address bar
When you’re done viewing a site and tap the address bar to enter the URL for another site, Chrome highlights the link, but doesn’t remove it, forcing you to tap the cross for it. ‘wipe off.
However, you can get an address bar ready to welcome your new query as soon as you tap it by searching for and activating the Search Ready Omnibox flag.
Once the Default parameter is set to Enabled, restart Chrome using the dedicated button; and take the test: as soon as you tap on Chrome’s address bar, it is automatically cleaned of its content.
9. Prohibit page redirects
When you read a web page, there is arguably nothing more obnoxious than an unexpected redirect to third-party content, often malicious advertising. To put an end to this practice, you can prevent Chrome from performing page redirects.
Search for Framebusting requires sameorigin or user gesture in the flags search engine and enable the feature by changing the Default parameter to Enabled.
Then restart Chrome by pressing Relaunch Now.
10. Delete suggested articles
You have probably noticed, when opening a new tab, that Google Chrome displays a suggested article. If it is possible to hide them, you can also get rid of them permanently by disabling them.
To do this, find Show server-side suggestions on the New Tab page and change the Default value to Disabled.
Restart Chrome by pressing the appropriate button to validate your changes.
Now, when you open a new tab in Google Chrome, the page will only display the last visited websites.