6 secret settings for a smarter Chrome Android setup | Augur Tech

Hey. You. Sure, you there — the one along with your overly moist eyeballs pointed on the display. What if I had been to inform you that that the browser you depend on for all your web-based exploring on Android had oodles of additional options — top-secret settings that’d add superior powers into your cellular searching adventures and make wiggling your means round this wacky ol’ net of ours meaningfully higher?

Nicely, offered you are utilizing Google’s Chrome browser for Android, that is as true as true may be. And better of all, it would not take a lot to uncover all of Chrome’s rigorously hid treasures — if the place to look.

The six settings on this web page will make your Android-based net searching extra highly effective, extra environment friendly, and usually simply extra nice. They’re all simply sitting there ready to be discovered, too — so actually, why not benefit from what they’ve to supply?

Earlier than we spelunk any additional, although, one fast phrase of warning: All of those settings are a part of Chrome’s flags system, which is a house for under-development choices which can be nonetheless actively being labored on and are not technically supposed for mainstream use. The flags system is supposed for skilled customers and different equally knowledgeable (and/or insane) folks who need to get an early have a look at superior objects. It additionally evolves fairly recurrently, so it is fully potential among the settings talked about right here might look completely different from what I’ve described and even be gone fully in some unspecified time in the future within the not-so-distant future.

What’s extra, the flags system has a great deal of superior choices inside it, a few of which might doubtlessly trigger web sites to look bizarre, Chrome itself to change into unstable, and even your ears to begin spewing a delightfully minty steam. (Hey, you by no means know.) So in different phrases: Proceed with warning, comply with my directions rigorously, and do not mess with anything you encounter on this space of the browser until you really perceive it and genuinely know what you are doing.

[Psst: Love shortcuts? My Android Shortcut Supercourse will teach you tons of time-saving tricks for your phone. Sign up now for free!]

Obtained all that? Good. Now, let’s give your browser some spiffy new superpowers, lets?

Chrome Android setting No. 1: Smarter screenshots

I do not find out about you, however I share an terrible lot of screenshots with my fellow phone-staring land mammals. And sometimes, there will be some method of information on the display I need to spotlight — a selected space on an online web page, an interface ingredient, a pinky-nail-sized picture of my fibula, or regardless of the case could also be.

Android’s personal native screenshot editor makes it simple to scribble on any screenshot you seize and add in a crudely drawn line or circle — however “crudely drawn” is the important thing time period there. You are fairly actually simply scribbling along with your finger on the display, and you may very a lot inform in the way in which it finally ends up trying.

However, get this: Now you can create a tidy and professional-looking field, circle, or arrow on prime of any screenshot you seize from proper inside Chrome, with out ever interrupting your workflow. And all you’ve got gotta do is flip a single swap to make it potential.

This is the trick:

• Kind chrome:flags into your Chrome Android app’s handle bar.
• Kind screenshots into the search field on the display that comes up.
• Faucet the road labeled “Screenshots for Android V2” and alter its setting from “Disabled” to “Enabled.”
• Faucet the blue Relaunch button on the backside of the display.

After your browser restarts itself, open up an online web page — any ol’ net web page. Faucet the three-dot menu icon in Chrome’s upper-right nook, choose “Share,” after which choose “Screenshot” within the little panel that pops up.

And hey — how ’bout that? There on the backside of that software is an innocuous-looking new addition referred to as “Form.”

JR

Faucet that, and you may then draw any clean-looking field, circle, or arrow wherever on the screenshot, in any shade you need:

JR

Not too shabby, eh?

Chrome Android setting No. 2: Much less limiting screenshots

Talking of screenshots, have you ever ever tried to seize a screenshot of one thing you are viewing in Chrome’s Incognito mode in your cellphone?

If not, enable me to spoil the shock for you: It would not work. You simply get a clean, black picture with out something seen on it — which is beautiful in its simplicity, I suppose, however not all that helpful with regards to attempting to share necessary information.

Nicely, get this: Deep inside Chrome’s dankest bowels lies a easy swap that removes that screenshot-prohibiting coverage for the browser’s Incognito mode and allows you to seize something you need to seize, in any mode you are utilizing.

So say, for example, you are utilizing Chrome’s Incognito mode to take a look at one thing with out being signed in. Or possibly you are counting on it to verify on a sure search with out having the time period get related to your Google searching historical past. Or possibly you are utilizing it for, erm, sure different undisclosed functions.

Regardless of the case, there are certain to be moments whenever you need to snap a screenshot of one thing in that type of state. And now, you may.

This is all there’s to it:

• As soon as once more, sort chrome:flags into your browser’s handle bar.
• Kind incognito into the search field on the display that comes up.
• Discover the road labeled “Incognito Screenshot” and alter its setting from “Default” to “Enabled.”
• Faucet the Relaunch button on the backside of the display.

And that is it: Now you can seize screenshots of Incognito home windows every time your privacy-browsing coronary heart needs.

Simply bear in mind: For those who snap one thing by chance at an (ahem) inadvertent second, it is as much as you to go discover and delete it.

Chrome Android setting No. 3: Smarter saving

For those who’re something like me and have a tendency to maintain someplace between 20 and 20,000 tabs open in your Chrome Android browser at any given second — all Very Essential Articles you propose to learn in some unspecified time in the future, clearly — this subsequent hidden Chrome function is only for you.

It is a smarter system for saving stuff instantly in your Android browser with out all of the muddle after which ensuring you really bear in mind to revisit it later.

And this one requires two completely different items of the puzzle to be activated:

• Begin by typing chrome:flags into your browser’s handle bar (feeling acquainted but?).
• Subsequent, sort learn later into the search field.
• Discover the road labeled “Studying record” and alter its setting to “Enabled (with app menu merchandise).”
• After which discover the road labeled “Learn later reminder notification” and alter its setting to “Enabled.”
• Lastly, faucet the Relaunch button on the backside of the display.

When Chrome reloads, attempt opening up any article on any web site you want. Faucet the three-dot menu icon in Chrome’s upper-right nook, and you must see a newly added “Add to studying record” choice halfway down the menu.

JR

Choose that, and the web page shall be beamed over right into a particular space of your browser’s bookmarks reserved explicitly for stuff you need to learn later — and you may get a reminder after per week that you just, like, really want to learn it.

For those who ever need to entry your studying record by yourself, simply faucet Chrome’s three-dot menu icon once more and choose “Bookmarks.” It is best to then see “Studying record” as an choice and have the ability to discover every thing you’ve got saved inside it.

And as an extra-useful bonus, all these articles are robotically made obtainable for offline studying, too, in case you ever need to catch up while on an airplane or in an undisclosed underground bunker.

Chrome Android setting No. 4: Higher bookmarks

Whereas we’re occupied with these Chrome Android bookmarks, let’s take a sec to self-apply a serious interface improve in that space — lets?

The reality is that it is a fairly overdue enchancment. Chrome’s bookmarks space on Android hasn’t gotten a lot love in a very good lengthy whereas, and it is regarded slightly blah (to make use of the technical time period) in consequence. However concern not, for Google hasn’t forgotten about it fully.

You may fast-track your Android cellphone into Chrome’s new-and-improved bookmarks setup by making this fast ‘n’ simple tweak:

• Kind chrome:flags into the browser’s handle bar.
• Kind bookmarks into the search field on the display that comes up.
• Faucet the road labeled “Bookmarks refresh” and alter its setting from “Disabled” to “Enabled (enabled w/ visuals).”
• Faucet the Relaunch button on the backside of the display.

After your browser restarts, faucet the three-dot menu icon in its upper-right nook and once more faucet “Bookmarks” in that principal Chrome menu. You will be greeted with a freshened-up Android bookmark view that would not seem like it was final touched within the prehistoric ages — and, as an added perk, you may additionally discover a brand new and fewer ambiguous choice for including a web site into your bookmarks inside that principal Chrome menu.

Chrome Android setting No. 5: A wiser Darkish Theme

Android’s Darkish Theme is a pleasant approach to make your digital world a bit simpler in your eyes, particularly within the night hours or anytime you are in a dim setting (like, for example, an undisclosed underground bunker).

However oddly sufficient, utilizing the system-wide Darkish Theme toggle would not really have an effect on the online. Most websites nonetheless present up shiny as day and in a harsh distinction to the mellow dim vibes the relaxation of Android provides you in that context.

Nicely, here is the repair:

• Kind — yup, you guessed it! — chrome:flags into your browser’s handle bar.
• Now sort darkish into the search field on the display that comes up.
• Discover the road that claims “Darken web sites checkbox in themes setting” and alter its setting to “Enabled.”
• Smack that splendid Relaunch button on the backside of the display. (Don’t be concerned. It likes it.)

Now pull up any ol’ web site you need, and you will see the positioning magically reworked right into a darkish theme in your viewing pleasure.

JR

And bear in mind this: For those who ever need to disable that transformation, you may mosey your means into the Chrome Android app’s settings and choose “Theme” to discover a swap that’ll allow you to toggle it on or off as wanted.

Chrome Android setting No. 6: Richer reactions

Final however not least is a barely foolish however nonetheless doubtlessly helpful Chrome Android choice. And it goes hand in hand with the primary two methods we went over at the beginning of this saga.

Are you prepared? This remaining hurrah of ours is an expanded system for browser-based screenshots — one which makes it delightfully simple so as to add an expressive response into any picture you seize for further impact.

See?

JR

Need to give it a whirl? This is how:

• One final time, sort chrome:flags into that keen and ready handle bar of yours.
• Kind reactions into the search field on the prime of the display.
• Discover the road labeled “Light-weight Reactions (Android)” and alter its setting to “Enabled.”
• Final however not least — let’s all say it collectively now! — faucet the Relaunch button on the backside of the display.

When Chrome comes again up, simply gallop over to any ol’ web site you want, choose the “Share” choice in the primary Chrome menu, and search for the newly current “Add emotion” chance.

Pound that pet, then choose the emotion you require (and word that you could scroll horizontally on the record of choices to uncover much more symbols) — then use your fingers to maneuver and resize it and even duplicate it, if you happen to’re actually feeling merry.

JR

All that is left is to hit the checkmark icon within the lower-right nook of your display after which ship your creation as a vigorous animation to no matter colleague you select to bless along with your expressiveness.

For everybody else in your office, concurrently: You are welcome — and I am sorry.

Prepared for much more superior Android information? Join my free Android Shortcut Supercourse to study tons of time-saving methods!