In an effort to give users the choice to open websites however they want, Google is working on a feature that allows Chrome users to open the desktop version of websites by default on their Android smartphones.
The ability to open the desktop version of a website is not new, what’s new is that users are now going to get the option to open the desktop version of websites by default. The feature will be very helpful particularly in a scenario where you need to use the desktop version of a specific website to get the job done. Instead of selecting the ‘Desktop site’ each time you open the site, you’ll soon be able to tell Google to open the desktop version of that site every time you open it.
The ability to open the desktop version of websites is currently available on Chrome Canary and not Chrome Stable. Another caveat is that enabling the option will open the desktop version every time you open a website. On the bright side, however, Google is confirmed to be working towards modifying the feature a bit to allow the users to open only specific sites in the desktop mode. This change is expected to arrive in a future update.
As for how you can enable the feature, it will require you to have Chrome Canary installed on your smartphone. Also, since the feature is available behind a flag, you’ll have to ‘Enable‘ a flag called ‘Global setting to request desktop site on Android.’ Now, you can go to Settings > Site settings > Desktop site. Enable the Desktop site toggle in order to use the feature.
It is worth noting that enabling the feature won’t snatch away the ‘Desktop site’ checkbox from the three-dot menu. If you want to switch to the mobile version you can easily do that by unchecking the checkbox.
Chrome is not the first browser to get the feature, however. Microsoft recently added the same feature to Edge Canary and Dev channels. If you’re using the feature both on Chrome Canary and Edge Canary/Dev., let us know which browser does it better.
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Chrome on Android soon will get an option in Site settings, which when turned on, continuously requests the browser to open the desktop version of sites. The option can be enabled and used right now in Chrome 96 Canary.
Why you may want to see the desktop version of a Webpage on mobile?
Generally, if you use Android devices, the browser displays a website version optimized for smartphones by default
- Developers these days design their websites for mobile than desktop, and on certain sites, feature access could be limited. To view the full website, you may have to switch to desktop view.
- Users running Android tablets with large sizes may want a dekstop experience than mobile to be honest.
Note: Google has recently defaulted desktop mode for Android tablets running Chrome. - You may want to check how your site looks on the desktop for compatibility reasons.
How to request a desktop site in Chrome on Android
Like other mobile browsers, Android Chrome offers a setting to view the webpage in desktop mode.
All you need to do is visit that site, tap on the menu and select the “Desktop” option checkbox. However, the option is available per-site basis and you need to manually do this each time for every site.
Google is working to provide a “desktop site” option in its Android Chrome Settings [disabled by default] that always tries to request for dekstop view of sites when enabled.
Permanently enable desktop sites in Chrome on Android
- Launch chrome
- Visit chrome://flags
- Search for “desktop”, for “Global setting to request desktop site on Android“, select Enabled and restart the browser.
- Tap on menu , select Settings > Site Settings > Desktop Site> enable toggle to “Request the desktop view of sites“.
Closing words:
If viewing the desktop version for a site is a one-off thing, you can continue to use the option available in the menu without needing to enable the setting.
Now, you tell us when was the last time you’ve asked Chrome on Android to open a desktop site?
More about Chrome for Android:
Chrome to warn when you download files in Incognito
Chrome Tab Groups on Android getting significant changes after User feedback
Chrome for Android: Bookmarks getting a ‘Visual Refresh’
Description: Here is a quick guide on how to change Chrome to open in Desktop Mode.
- Go to Start in Windows 8 by pressing the Windows Key on your keyboard.
- Open Google Chrome by clicking on its Tile.
- Go to the upper right corner of Google Chrome, click on the icon that has 3 lines. Choose Relaunch Chrome on the Desktop.
- Congratulations Google Chrome will now open in Desktop mode.
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Learn how to view the desktop site view on google chrome on the iPhone/iPad. The feature helps to view the fullscreen site version on small mobile screens.
There are few websites developed only for the desktop version that cause issues when accessing them on a mobile phone. Thankfully, Google Chrome has a feature where you can instantly switch between mobile and desktop websites with a single tap.
This will not only help to view web-pages with tables and formula data, but it is also useful for certain websites that work badly on a smartphone. I face many problems while browsing certain anime websites as they are optimized for desktop viewers only.
Hence, on my smartphone, I can’t see the anime series’ release dates, the download buttons, stream buttons, and so on. It was an enormous hassle to turn on my laptop only to browse particular websites or web portals. But soon, I discovered the desktop site view feature in Chrome iOS, where you can request desktop site chrome with no technical expertise.
The view desktop site option is a one-button script that can convert a smartphone website into a desktop. It is especially useful if the website you’re visiting is not mobile-friendly or not working on a small screen.
I have faced many scenarios where certain websites that I used to complete my college assignment worked only on my PC and did not work on my smartphone. Some of them include graph plotting websites and 3D map websites. These websites were technically developed for a desktop screen.
Related: How to View Mobile Site in Chrome Mac Computer?
But with the request desktop site chrome option, you can view their desktop-only websites on your smartphone device! It is a very useful and great option that iPhone or iPad users can now enjoy with the Chrome iOS app.
How to View Desktop Site in Chrome iOS?
The desktop site view helps in viewing all hidden menus and options just like we watch on the desktop.
Although font size and elements might look smaller since we are visiting a desktop site on the mobile phone. But overall, the experience will be exactly like desktop websites. Desktop site iPhone is a really useful feature.
Here are the steps to view the desktop site on Chrome iPhone/iPad:
- Open the Chrome iOS app.
- Open the website of your choice, which you want to view in the Desktop version.
- Tap on More for the menu list.
- Scroll down in the list and choose the Request Desktop Site command.
The website will reload, and you will see the desktop view of the website. To switch back, you can choose the Request Mobile Site option at the same place.
Note: If you don’t see texts or tables, you can pinch zoom in to magnify the screen. You will see small texts because of your smartphone screen.
Bottom Line: View Desktop Site on Chrome iOS
If you want to experience full-fledged desktop sites on your iPhone, then Chrome iOS lets you do that. With the view desktop site iPhone feature, you can easily switch between desktop and mobile versions of a website.
It’s a highly recommended feature if you’re browsing online forms, download sites, etc. Not only will it help you understand the content of the website better, but it will also eliminate the risk of mobile-driven viruses that the mobile version of the website contains.
Now you don’t have to read more of ”your iPhone has infected with the XYZ virus, click here to fix” type of messages if you’re using a desktop version of the website using Chrome iOS.
Similarly, you can also enable the mobile site view on the chrome computer browser. It’s just the opposite of what we just learned. The mobile site view is useful for web developers who want to test the site view in different screen layouts [mobile phones/tablets/desktops].
Let us know what is your perspective about the desktop site iPhone option. Isn’t it great? Do share your thoughts.
Lastly, here are the recommended web browsers for your computer and mobile phone that you should give a try.
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