How to make the default browser on Android

To open web pages on the Internet, a special program is used – an Internet browser, and if there are several similar applications on a mobile device, you must select the default Android browser. The default browser on the phone is used to open links to websites in which they open after clicking on the corresponding URL.

A mobile phone always has at least one browser that serves to access the Internet. Many users install other similar applications on their devices for greater convenience.

If a smartphone has only one browser, then it is the default browser on this phone, even if it is not selected as such in the mobile phone settings. If there are several web browsers on the phone, the user is faced with the task of choosing the preferred application for opening website pages.

In the Android operating system, the default browser opens links to web pages without asking the user’s opinion. If the default web browser is not selected on the mobile phone, the system will prompt the user each time to select the appropriate application.

How to set the default browser on Android? The Android operating system has several ways to select a default application that can be used on any phone with any browser. The settings interface may differ depending on the version of the Android system, or the installed shell (OS) created by the manufacturer of the mobile device.

The examples in the instructions in this article use a “clean” version of the Android 10 operating system, running without any integrated add-ons or skins.

How to make Android default browser in phone settings – 1 way

Let’s first see how to choose the default Android browser in the operating system settings.

You need to proceed as follows:

1. Enter your phone settings.
2. Click on Apps & Notifications.
3. On the next screen, open the Default Apps option.
4. Click on the “Browser” option.
5. In the “Default Browser” window, activate the radio button next to the appropriate browser from among those installed on your phone.

If the default browser has not yet been installed on this phone, then the selection button will be inactive opposite all applications available on the device for accessing the Internet.

Now, after clicking on links from conversations in instant messengers, in messages or in documents, site pages will open in the browser set as the default application.

This setting can be used when questions arise about how to change the default browser on Android. Enter the smartphone settings again, select another suitable web browser.

How to change the default browser on Android – method 2

In the Android operating system, you can make the default browser by clicking on the link. This method works if multiple browsers are installed on the phone and no default browser has been set yet.

Do the following:

1. After tapping on the link, a window will open asking you to select a browser.
2. The screen displays a list of web browsers and two buttons “Only now” and “Always”.
3. You must select one of the browsers, touch the “Always” button.

How to make Yandex the default browser on Android

Some people want to make Yandex Browser users the default Android program for opening web links.

Check out the first way to set the default Yandex Browser on your phone:

1. Go to the browser settings (three vertical dots) located in the address bar.
2. Tap the Default Browser button.
3. A message will appear in the window asking you to make the default browser.
4. Click on “Settings”.
5. The phone settings window “Default applications” will open, click on the “Browser” item (the icon of the current Internet browser is displayed here).
6. In the next window, set Yandex Browser as the default application.

You can use another option: you can make Yandex the default browser from the settings on the mobile device described in the first method. As a result of changing the settings on the phone, the browser will become the default Yandex application.

How to make Opera the default browser on Android

The Opera browser is quite popular on mobile devices, so it is often used to surf the Internet.

Go through the following steps:

1. Click on the “Opera” button located on the panel in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. In the menu that opens, click on “Settings”.
3. In the Opera browser settings window, click on the “Default browser” option.
4. The “Make Opera your default browser” menu will open, in which you must click on the “Next” button.
5. On the next screen, set the Opera browser as the default web browser.

How to make Chrome the default browser on Android

If you try to set Chrome as the default browser for Android, and go into the settings settings, you will not find such an option. Google Chrome does not have an option to select the default browser.

Use the first method in this guide to change your default app settings.

Choosing a browser for internal links

In some cases, applications have a built-in web browser, so the assigned Internet browser may not open internal links in the program.

On mobile devices, WebView technology is used, which is responsible for viewing pages on the Internet within the application itself. When you click on the URL, the site page is opened not by the default external browser, but by the application itself using the Android WebView tool integrated into the operating system.

In other cases, this function is performed by the Google Chrome browser.

If necessary, these parameters can be changed in the Android OS settings:

1. Enter “Settings” on your phone.
2. Open Apps & Notifications.
3. On the next screen, tap the Default Apps option.
4. In the “Default Applications” window, go to the “Follow links” setting.
5. In the “Open links” window, select any installed application with instant launch.
6. In the “Open by default” window, click on the “Open links” option.
7. A menu will open in which you need to select the appropriate settings item:

• Open in this application.
• Always ask.
• Do not open in this application.

In this way, you can apply your own settings to open websites that were launched from certain applications.

Article Conclusions

Mobile phones use the default browser to access the Internet, which opens links to web pages. If several Internet browsers are installed on the smartphone, the user can select one of them as the default program.

Some applications open links to sites using WebView technology without using the default browser. In the settings of the Android operating system, you can change this setting by selecting the appropriate application – one of the web browsers installed on your phone.