If you’re an Android user who wants to get the most out of your Chrome browser, you may want to enable Chrome flags.
Chrome Flags are experimental features that aren’t quite ready for prime time, but they can improve your browsing experience in a number of ways.
In this article, we’ll show you how to enable Chrome flags on your Android device. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What are Chrome Flags?
Chrome flags are experimental features that aren’t yet available to the general public. They’re designed to improve your browsing experience, but they can also be unstable and cause problems.
The experimental settings also included the new feature that Google is currently testing and might release in the future updates if the testing goes right. So basically, if you enable and use any flag on your Google Chrome browser, you actually become a beta tester.
Apart from that, Chrome Flags also include a few advanced features for developers such as Javascript Debugging, GPU Accelerated Compositing, Experimental QUIC Protocol, and more. So, If you’re a developer or someone who simply enjoys experimenting with new under-cooked features, there are many amazing Chrome Flags available for you.
What are the risks of enabling Chrome Android Flags?
While Chrome flags offer a number of benefits, they can also be unstable and cause problems. Here are the major risks associated with Chrome flags:
- Flags are experimental: As we mentioned, Chrome flags are designed to improve your browsing experience, but they can also be unstable. If you enable a flag and it causes problems, you may have to disable it or even reset your device.
- Flags can ruin Privacy: Some Chrome Flags can be considered privacy-invasive. For example, there is a flag that allows you to send Google your usage statistics and crash reports. This information can be used to target ads at you or to sell to third parties.
- They’re not well-tested: Because Chrome flags are experimental features, they aren’t as well-tested as the stable features in Chrome. This means that there’s a greater chance that they’ll cause problems.
- They’re not supported by all devices: Not all devices support Chrome flags. If you enable a flag on a device that doesn’t support it, you may experience problems.
- Flags are not well-documented: Because Chrome flags are experimental features, they aren’t as well-documented as the stable features in Chrome. This means that you may not be able to find information about them if you have questions.
Should You Enable Chrome Flags?
Now that you know the risks associated with Chrome flags, you may be wondering whether or not you should enable them. The answer to this question depends on your level of comfort with risk.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to live on the edge, you may be willing to take the risks associated with Chrome flags. However, if you prefer stability and reliability, you may want to avoid them.
How to enable Android Chrome Flags?
To enable a Chrome Flag on Android, follow these instructions:
- On your Android device, launch the Chrome browser.
- Tap on the address bar and type chrome://flags or about://flags and tap go.
- Once the Chrome Flags tab is opened, you will see a list of numerous experimental features in the form of flags.
- You can either look for your preferred flag in this list or just search for it on the search box. Every flag has a small description along with the title.
- After you got your intended flag, tap on the drop-down menu below it to expand.
- From the menu, select Enabled to enable the selected Chrome Flag.
- Next, tap on the Relaunch button to make the changes effective.
How to disable Chrome Android Flags?
If after enabling a flag the browser starts misbehaving, you can disable it in the same way you enabled it. If multiple flags are causing the problem and you don’t know which one is the culprit then reset all the flags by navigating to the chrome://flags and clicking on the Reset all button next to the search box.
Which Chrome Flags you must enable on Android?
Chrome flags are supported by Windows, Android, macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux, but not all flags are compatible with every platform.
Here are the top flags you must enable on Android:
Smooth Scrolling
If you’re tired of jerky scrolling, then you need to enable the “Smooth Scrolling” flag. This will make scrolling smoother and more fluid. Enabling this flag will allow you to scroll like you’re on a trackpad.
To enable this flag, type “chrome://flags” into your URL bar and tap enter. Then, search for “Smooth Scrolling.” Tap on the drop-down menu and select “Enabled.” Restart your browser for the changes to take effect. You can also navigate to chrome://flags/#smooth-scrolling to enable it directly.
Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents
If you’ve ever been browsing the web late at night, you know how jarring it can be to have a bright screen in your face. Well, there’s a flag for that. Enabling “Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents” will cause all of your web pages to automatically switch to a dark theme at nighttime. This not only protects your eyes from strain but can also help improve battery life on devices with OLED screens.
To enable this flag, type “chrome://flags” into your URL bar, search for “dark mode,” and select “Enabled” from the drop-down menu. Or just navigate to this link and enable the flag: chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark
Reader Mode
If you’re tired of seeing ads and other distractions when you’re trying to read an article, then you need to enable the “Reader Mode” flag. This will remove all of the clutter from articles and make them easier to read. After enabling the flag, you can easily enable reader mode with just a single tap.
To enable this flag, type “chrome://flags” into the address bar and tap enter. Then, search for “Reader Mode.” Enable the Reader Mode in CCT flag. You can also navigate to chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode-in-cct to enable it directly.
Experimental QUIC Protocol
The Experimental QUIC Protocol flag enables support for the Quick UDP Internet Connections protocol. This can improve page load times and reduce latency. The objective of the flag is to reduce bandwidth, latency, and congestion by reducing the number of round trips required when establishing a new connection.
To enable this flag, type “chrome://flags” into your Chrome address bar, then search for “Experimental QUIC Protocol.” Click “Enable,” then restart Chrome when prompted. Other than this you can directly enable it through this link: chrome://flags/#enable-quic.
Show Autofill predictions
If you’ve ever used a web browser, you know that typing in addresses can be a pain, especially if you’re constantly having to correct common typos or re-type entire URLs. By enabling this flag, Chrome will show predictions for what you’re trying to type, based on your browsing history. This can save you a ton of time and frustration, especially if you’re constantly typing in the same address or search query. It also greatly helps while filling out the online forms.
To enable this flag, open Chrome and type “chrome://flags” into the Omnibox. Search for “Show Autofill predictions” on the Chrome Flags page. Or follow this link to directly reach the flag and enable it: chrome://flags/#show-autofill-type-predictions.
Conclusion
By following this guide you can easily enable Chrome Android flags and enhance your browsing experience. The flags listed in this post are just a few of the many Chrome flags that you can enable to improve your browsing experience. So, go ahead and try out some of these flags and see which ones work best for you. And if you know of any other useful flags, be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Yes! You can enable Chrome Flags in Android by going to the “flags” section of your Chrome browser. Simply type “chrome://flags” into your address bar, and you’ll be taken to a list of available flags. From here, you can enable or disable any of the flags that are available.
No, you do not need to root your Android device to enable Chrome Flags. However, some flags may require root access in order to work properly.
