Table of contents:
- Quickly switch Chrome tabs
- Block Google Chrome pop-ups on your mobile
- Speed up Chrome downloads with this trick
- Use Google Chrome as a file browser on your mobile
- Add a function bar to Google Chrome
- Preview a web page before accessing it
- Adjust the text size to your liking in Google Chrome
- Change the way Google Chrome displays tabs
- Group Chrome tabs into folders
Google Chrome for Android and iOS is more similar to its homonymous version for computers than it may seem. The mobile version inherits part of the functions of its counterpart. Unfortunately, most of these functions are hidden, at least for those users who do not demand advanced use of the applications. This time we have compiled several of these tricks to get the most out of the Google browser on mobile.
index of contents
Quickly switch Chrome tabs
A very simple and useful trick. Switching the tab in Google Chrome can take several seconds. Thanks to a simple gesture we can quickly change the active Chrome tab.
The gesture in question must be done on the top address bar. Just make a movement gesture to the right or to the left to move to the previous or next tab as if it were an image.
Block Google Chrome pop-ups on your mobile
Tired of closing advertising pop-ups? Google Chrome allows us to block these windows through its settings. In this case we will have to go to the browser settings, which we can access by clicking on the three points on the top bar.
Within this menu we will go to the Configuration section of the website. In Pop-up windows and redirects we will deactivate the homonymous option. With this, any window that is activated by a website will be blocked immediately.
Speed up Chrome downloads with this trick
There is no such trick to exceed the contracted download speed. This is not to say that we cannot appeal downloads on Google Chrome. Thanks to the parallel download system of the browser, we can improve download speed through an algorithm that divides the original files into small packages.
To activate this function we will have to go to the Chrome flags, which we can access by typing the following address in the address bar:
- chrome: // flags
Next, we will write the command 'Parallel Downloading' to find the function. It is enough to mark the homonymous option as Enabled to activate the parallel downloads.
Use Google Chrome as a file browser on your mobile
Did you know that Google Chrome can work as a file explorer for Android? So is. In this way, we can know the content of the internal memory of our phone, at the same time that we can view videos and images and even play sound within the browser.
How? Simply enter the following address in the Google Chrome bar:
- file: /// sdcard /
The browser will automatically list all the folders and files stored in the phone's storage. Unfortunately, we will not be able to copy, paste or move items between directories.
Add a function bar to Google Chrome
The current Google Chrome interface is subject to constant change. Currently the experimental versions of the application have enabled a function bar that can be found at the bottom of the interface. From this bar we can perform different actions: search for a word on a web page, go to Home, share a link…
To activate the new interface we will have to refer again to the Chrome flags. In this case we will have to look for the 'Chrome Duet' command. Next, Chrome will show us several options. The ones that interest us are three:
- Enable
- Enabled Home-Search-Tab Switcher Variation
- Enabled NewTab-Search-Share Variation
Any of these three options will be used to activate the function bar. From tuexperto.com we recommend using the second or third option.
Preview a web page before accessing it
Did you know that you can see a preview of a web page before accessing its content? For this, we will have to previously activate a function called 'An ephemeral preview Tab in overlay panel', a function that we can find in the Chrome flags menu.
Now we just have to press and hold the finger on a link and then select the option to Review page, as we can see in the image above.
Adjust the text size to your liking in Google Chrome
Do you see the text of the web pages too small? Or do you prefer to reduce the size of the letters to take advantage of the diagonal of the screen? Like Google Chrome for computers, the mobile application allows us to modify the font size. To do this, we will have to go back to the browser settings, specifically to the Accessibility section.
Then, Chrome will allow us to play with the size of the letter. By default, the value is set to 100%. To increase or decrease the size we will have to play with that value. We can also activate the Force zoom option to zoom in or out of the content of web pages that are not compatible with this function.
Change the way Google Chrome displays tabs
Managing tabs in Chrome for mobile is pretty simple. As the application is designed, we can only see a maximum of two or three tabs at a time. The good news is that we can change the way the tabs are displayed through the Chrome flags.
Within the mentioned menu we will write the command 'Tab Grid Layout'. Then, the command will show us different functions, although the one we recommend from tuexpertomovil.com is the 'Enabled Thumbnail aspect ratio - 3: 4' to increase the maximum number of tabs. In this way, we can view 6 and even 8 tabs at the same time, depending on the physical size of the screen.
Group Chrome tabs into folders
Using the previous interface we can create folders with groups of tabs. To do this, we will have to previously activate a function in the Google Chrome flags menu. Within this menu we will write the command 'Tab Groups', which we will have to mark as Enabled.
Now we just have to drag a tab to another open tab to create a new folder, which we can move throughout the interface to our liking.
Other news about… Android, iOS
