Good day!
It just so happened that having written a review of one browser and comparing it with others, I wanted to write more about each of them, because each of them is good for something specific (although, it would seem, what could be more specific than web surfing ☺) . One browser has an excellent, clear interface, but it takes a long time to load, the other uses a lot of energy and often crashes, but it’s convenient to work with big amount tabs, and the third is perfect for quickly viewing a link of interest. You don't have to choose. Download all the ones you like. As for synchronizing bookmarks, this is not a problem; I will describe in detail several ways how they can be saved for all browsers at the same time. And if you don’t like the interface of any of the browsers (which, given the number of them, is unlikely ☺) - create your own. Just create your own browser!!! This opportunity is provided by the browser I marked in the list as my favorite.
To make the description of the programs useful, I will write in two sections:
If the first is useful after downloading the program to make it easier to understand the controls, then the latter will just help you decide whether it’s worth downloading it at all.
Please note: Browsers were used on a Sony Xperia Tablet S. Other devices may have different speeds and specifications. But according to observations, the interface and functions remain the same.
I have 12 browsers on my tablet. If we exclude the standard Android browser and Google Chrome, exactly ten remain:
1. UC Browser
Interface
The appearance of the program is minimalistic and is intended more for smartphones.
By default it works in portrait mode. Theme installation is not supported. Maximum amount downloads are limited to 5... However, if you make the settings, the browser can be well adapted for other devices. The menu is quite convenient, and it’s easy to figure out!
This browser displays pages that are often used very unusually, for example Yandex:
Thanks to this, the page loads in a matter of seconds.
Tabs
Tabs don't take up the top of the screen; To see open pages, you need to click on the button at the bottom of the screen:
Bookmarks
To add a bookmark, just click on the yellow star (it seems to me that this star is the same in all browsers ☺).
You can choose to save any previously created folder or save it to the root and then sort it at your leisure. It’s very nice that you can send a bookmark directly to your desktop.
Pleasant trifles
Landscape mode controls are very unusual! You've probably never made such gestures before. To close the current tab, you need to touch with two fingers and... just swipe down. And to open a new tab, vice versa, up.
My opinion
Overall excellent fast browser, which is difficult to compare with anything else. Despite the fact that the first impression is not always good, as it was for me due to the large elements. But the interface can be changed almost beyond recognition only with the help of settings. I think this browser undoubtedly deserves attention and some space in the memory of your device.
2. Boat Browser Mini
At first general description and a small instruction manual.
Appearance of the program
The program interface is quite simple, but it can hardly be called intuitive. The control buttons for calling up the menu are too small for touch control, although you can get used to it.
But the screen is not cluttered and it’s convenient. There are six buttons, and they are for the most popular actions: saving bookmarks or going to the previous or next page.
A more advanced menu is hidden behind the rightmost button. When you first launch it, a blank tab appears, which you can later replace with any site by setting it as your home page.
Unlike most browsers, whose mobile versions do not support the installation of themes, the Boat browser does: all themes are divided into installed and online themes. The first ones can be changed at least every day; they are already installed in the browser, but they are not original. If you want more beautiful solutions, themes can be downloaded from Play Store absolutely free.
But this is in theory. In practice, I was able to download only one theme, and only on the first launch. Other times I just fell into home page Play Market.
Tabs
The browser supports up to eight tabs, which is usually enough. Unlike Chrome, they don't take up the top of the screen and are accessed via a small button at the bottom. Tabs are presented as miniatures of open web pages and are easy to scroll through.
Bookmarks
It’s very nice that bookmarks can be sorted into pre-created folders when adding or changing an existing bookmark.
Managing bookmarks is intuitive: if you swipe from left to right in the list, you can quickly select several bookmarks,
from right to left: move them.
Pleasant trifles
A very interesting feature that is not found in standard browsers: User Agent.
It can convince the browser that you are on a home computer or device with a different operating system.
Often mobile versions of sites are cut down for faster loading and correct display. By default, UA is Android,
but you can change it with one click. Here's an example of a Google page loaded with different agents:
Another interesting, but, in my opinion, a little useless feature: night mode. It simply turns the page gray and black, and some posts and pictures simply disappear! But this function can be used to adjust the brightness. To switch to the normal screen, just press the "day mode" button.
You can take a screenshot (screenshot) directly in your browser in a couple of clicks. In this case, only the program window is removed.
Personal experience
Speed
Page loading, even on a slow connection, is quite fast. On average, sites load 3-12 seconds faster than in the Android browser, and 4-6 seconds faster than in Chrome. However, for example, UltraLight Browser has much better speed, but does not support tabs.
When loading several pages at the same time, for example in different tabs, I noticed a decrease in speed by about half, and sometimes even Google took as long as half a minute to load!
Working with slow internet
I used the browser for both Wi-Fi and 3G. My operator has enough low speed connections during the day, but in these conditions the Boat Mini shows the best speed results, which is why it became my main assistant in difficult conditions ☺.
Departures
The browser crashes infrequently: in a month of use it froze only once. The response to pressing is always impeccable, although sometimes you can simply miss the button!
Flaws
It's all about merit. But, of course, not without drawbacks. I wrote about one of them at the very beginning: small menu buttons. However, they are located far from each other, so it is difficult to miss. But the context menu is not so easy: you can easily add a shortcut instead of saving the page.
Another drawback is that if you press the “home” button (meaning the standard hardware button of the system), then after returning to the browser all open pages are loaded again. While this usually doesn't happen often, it can be quite annoying if you have a lot of tabs open. However, if you switch between open applications without returning to the desktop, this does not happen.
It’s also not encouraging that bookmarks cannot be synchronized, so that if you leave a bookmark on your computer (in the Windows version of the browser), you can find it on your tablet and smartphone. However, you can transfer all your bookmarks from the standard Android browser in a matter of seconds. Although for people who actively use several devices, this browser is unlikely to become the main one.
3. Boat Browser
Almost the same browser, only without the "mini" prefix in the name and with slight differences in the interface. Here are some screenshots that demonstrate this:
The organization of the tabs is more like Google Chrome than Boat Mini.
In addition to the usual tabs at the top, there is also a page manager:
In general, the organization of pages is beyond praise: in addition to tabs and a page manager, you can control it using gestures.
Gesture control
Draw directly on the page, although by default it will not be visible, but if the gesture is drawn correctly, you will get where you want.
If you want to see it when you draw a gesture, just change it in the settings. True, then you will constantly have traces from zoom and scrolling and soon disappear. There are few preset gestures, and they are mainly for managing tabs. Of the sites, only Google and Facebook can be opened using gestures.
4.Maxthon
Interface
The first big advantage of the program: a user-friendly interface that landscape orientation very different from any browser I've ever encountered. In order to leave a bookmark or see the address bar, just pull the translucent arc at the very top.
Tabs
To access the tabs, you need to touch the small circle in the bottom corner and pull up.
To close an open page, just pull its thumbnail up.
This control is very convenient when you don’t want to clutter the screen, but if, on the contrary, you want to see all the tabs as usual at the top of the page, you can change the display settings by clicking “restore” or simply rotate the device.
Pleasant trifles
The biggest advantage of the browser is cloudiness. This is what the developers say. This is not important for me, but it’s nice to think that all my bookmarks, and even downloads, are safe. Maxthon was the first browser to allow all devices to sync using the cloud. Now, on the contrary, it is more difficult to find a browser without synchronization and this is no longer the most important difference between the browser. Although, unlike other browsers that save only bookmarks and, at best, settings, Maxthon syncs everything. Even downloads are saved in the cloud; you just need to leave the checkbox in the pop-up window before downloading.
A spoon of tar
If it weren't for her, the browser would be perfect, but nothing is perfect... The tar here is represented in the form of constant crashes. Well, okay, not so regular, but it still spoils all the joy, it’s especially unpleasant when you go into a previously minimized program and find that all the pages have closed, like the browser itself. It flies out not only after folding, but also just like that, for no apparent reason. Just everything open tabs disappear, leaving a page that has already set its teeth on edge quick access. But still, the overall impression of the browser is pleasant, although I didn’t use it to write this review ☺.
5. Maxthon HD
A version of the previous browser designed specifically for tablets.
The interface is a little different from the regular Maxthon browser, and here are some skins for comparison.
Night mode:
Adding a bookmark:
When you first open the browser, you are prompted to register or log in under your name and select a user photo, which will always be displayed in the upper left corner. As you can see, I placed my parrot ☺.
The site is not just about the browser. If you understand English, it can be a great source of engaging articles. From there you can go to the most popular sites, social networks, online stores and search engines.
Both Maxthons are great friends with each other: they can be synchronized in the cloud, if you log into each under the same name, bookmarks and history will be the same, and extensions downloaded for one browser will automatically appear in the other.
For translucent buttons to appear, it is not enough to touch the screen: you need to zoom or scroll, i.e. scroll or enlarge the page. You can quickly scroll through the page both using the interface itself and using the volume buttons.
The functions and capabilities are the same as in the previous browser, so I will not repeat them. Although, of course, this browser has its own
Pleasant trifles
In addition to regular tabs, pages can be displayed as small thumbnails. To do this, just click on the second button from the bottom.
The browser is very fast and great for viewing large pages. Zoom and scroll are instant and the page looks like it’s alive! During all the time I used it, it never crashed. The feelings are only positive!
A unique browser in 5 minutes
One of the most interesting offers from Maxthon is creating your own browser! And you don’t even need to download a regular browser to do this. Just go to http://custom.maxthon.com/custom/ from your favorite browser.
I advise you to prepare in advance an icon for your future browser (image 72 by 72) and background (480 by 800).
If you are too lazy to seriously look for images and just want to try out the function, you can select standard settings everywhere, and you will get a regular Maxthon browser, only with your own name. You can download the finished work of art using the link that will be sent to you at Mailbox. I advise you to check in advance in the settings next to the item that allows the installation of applications not from the Play Store.
6.UltraLight Browser
An ultra-light browser, in a minimalist style, without unnecessary functions. Ideal for quickly viewing a link or, for example, simply checking the weather and exchange rates. You can leave bookmarks. But there is always only one tab.
The page is completely blank, except for a small blue... what should I call it... a small blue thing.
You just need to pull it to see the address, settings and adding bookmarks button.
There is no history. In theory, this “thing” can be not only blue, but also metallic or black. But I can’t change it, I hope it will get better after the update.
Pleasant trifles
Speed. This, of course, is always pleasant, although it is far from a trifle. Page loading is quite fast, and, of course, I would like good web surfing at this speed. Alternatively, you can browse Wikipedia by clicking on links in the article. Although there are many separate programs for it that allow you to save the page and show articles nearby on the map (thanks to this function, I learned that I pass by the attraction twice a day ☺).
In general, the browser does not claim to be the most important and favorite, but with its “quickly view a link” function it copes with an A plus!
7 and 8. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile
Many people know that the most popular mobile browser is Opera. But which one? Which is better: Mini or Mobile? For myself, I decided a long time ago that they were both good, but I downloaded Opera Mobile later and became more attached to the Mini. I have it on my old one Sony phone Ericsson was the only normal browser. It seems its operating system was Symbian. Pages loaded quickly enough for GPRS, the interface was nice, and there was good integration with the computer. Everything is better on Android! The browser is simply designed for pleasant touch control. I’m already talking about both versions ☺.
What's the difference?
Firstly, different icons applications:
Secondly: Opera Mobile seems more tablet-like...
Opera Mini's speed is a couple of seconds better, although this is not so noticeable if you do not compare it with a stopwatch in your hand ☺.
But there is still a difference: in Opera Mini you can immediately search for Yandex and Wikipedia services from the search bar. This adds benefits to the browser.
The organization of tabs in both browsers is equally convenient; I did not notice any restrictions in their number.
In general, both browsers can successfully claim the place of the default browser, but personally, of the two, I prefer the first option.
9. One browser
Very interesting, nice browser. True, without support for the Russian language and the sites offered for quick access are also all in English, the browser attracts with its cute icon, good speed and stability.
But first things first.
Interface
Like the old UC Browser, nothing special. The address and search bars are separate, and it seems a little old-fashioned. There are no such pleasant elements that can be moved, pulled, stretched as in Maxthon. Serious complaints about appearance no, but there are nicer interfaces.
Bookmarks
The organization of bookmarks is normal: you can bookmark a page you like, add a shortcut to the quick access panel or to the desktop.
Tabs
To access the tabs, you first need to click on the translucent button on the right and then in a jewelry way get to the tabs icon, where thumbnails of open pages are presented. Among them there will definitely be a quick access panel, unless, of course, you specifically closed it.
Context menu. It is one-to-one similar to the Boat browsers:
Peculiarities
Personally, it was interesting for me to surf the Chinese Internet using the built-in Naver search engine ☺.
10. Firefox
One of the most popular browsers.
The interface is beautiful and animated. But the controls are not very good. For example, having pulled out the list of tabs on the left (to do this you need to hit the small button with precision), you will want to close it by simply pulling it back. But it won't work. You need to hit the same button again. And if you want to always see your tabs, you will have to come to terms with the fact that open page half will be visible.
Why did I start with the shortcomings? I just wanted to quickly write about them and move on to describing the many advantages of the browser.
Interface
As I already wrote, he is simply excellent! For example, if you try to make a non-enlarged page smaller, the program will not simply ignore your actions. The page will shrink until you release it and return to its normal shape. It’s a small thing, but it’s nice ☺ .
The speed is simply amazing, no comparison with the standard Android browser.
Reliability at top level. Never taken off yet. Sites can load in all tabs simultaneously and even when the browser is closed.
There are such pleasant sensations from using the program that cannot be explained, because the general long-term opinion is made up of little things. And Firefox is one such case. (Another case of browsers are Maxthon browsers, which I absolutely adore ☺.)
All bookmarks in all browsers
So, if you followed my advice and downloaded several browsers and actively use all (or at least most) of them, organizing your bookmarks will seem like a problem. Or you already have dozens of bookmarks in each browser, and if you want to go to your favorite site, you have to remember which browser you left the bookmark on. This was a problem for me too, but I found a solution. And more than one. ☺
Firstly, you can simply copy the link address and save it in any notepad. The best option, of course, Evernote.
The fourth way to synchronize bookmarks is the site "One Hundred Bookmarks".
It is enough to bookmark the site itself once in each browser and save the bookmarks there. You can also view other people's bookmarks, and if you don't want yours to be viewed, just make them private.
The fifth way to save is the website http://zakladki.by and the Android application for it. The program is very convenient, organizes bookmarks perfectly and has social networking capabilities. To leave a bookmark on your computer in a couple of clicks, just add the site to your favorites.
Working in the program is also quite comfortable, with an intuitively simple, minimalistic interface. And one more nice detail: it is possible to import already created bookmarks, although only from a computer and only through the website.
The first is, of course, himself text editor. I used Kingsoft Office.
The only completely free multifunctional office for Android. Here are the formats you can create:
I specifically put a beige background and brown letters. But I won’t describe all the functionality, otherwise I’m unlikely to manage it until March. Until the next one.
☺ ). This is great because you can see how great you are for doing so much ☺ .Of course, you couldn’t help but notice (if you looked at the screenshots under a magnifying glass) the small icons on the left. This is the Floating touch program.
It does not open like a regular application, but remains on top of all applications. They're basically just stickers. Very cute stickers.
Last thing: I described 10 browsers, but which one did I use myself? For example, to upload screenshots. The one I was writing about at a specific moment? Romantic, but uncomfortable. Why register on Yandex 10 times?! Standard? No, too clumsy. And my beloved Maxthon uploads, of course, but no more than one photo per day ☺ . If I had used it, I probably wouldn't have finished it before the summer holidays... I used Boat Browser Mini. Yes, that’s probably why his review is the longest ☺. The speed is average and loads consistently. Unlike UltraLight, which refused to insert photos at all...
I'm just obsessed with downloading everything that is bad (no, on the contrary, what is good. Without any file hosting services ☺). And I download everything in sets. Books (already 1600 on the reader), magazines (a little less), videos (well, you yourself probably know thousands of ways to download from VK and YouTube) and Internet pages (thanks to the most wonderful application Pocket, which is recommended by Google itself. I’m probably talking about this I’ll also write a whole separate review ☺). Somehow I wanted to add to the collection of applications for saving notes, and I downloaded 20 applications for this. Yes, exactly 20.
Then the Internet went out (my operator loves round numbers ☺). So this time I got my hands on browsers (warmed by an already hot tablet). But before writing a review, I tested them quite well. For a whole month this has been an interesting activity of mine, to which I now have to say goodbye, and I sincerely hope that my observations will be useful to you. Thank you for reading.
Girl With a Silver Ring
Android allows you to create own window to view web pages or even create your own browser clone using the . The element itself uses the WebKit engine and has many properties and methods. We will limit ourselves to a basic example of creating an application with which we can view pages on the Internet. IN latest versions The engine from Chromium is used, but there is no big difference in this for simple tasks.
Let's create new project MyBrowser and immediately replace the code in the markup file res/layout/activity_main.xml:
Now let's open the activity file MainActivity.java and declare the component, and also initialize it - enable JavaScript support and specify the page to load.
Private WebView webView; public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) ( super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); webView = findViewById(R.id.webView); // enable JavaScript support webView.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true) ; // specify the download page webView.loadUrl("http://site/android");
Since the application will use the Internet, you must set Internet access permission in the manifest file.
In the same place in the manifest we modify the line for the screen by removing the title from our application (in bold):
Let's launch the application. We now have a simple web page viewer at our disposal, but with one drawback. If you click on any link, your default browser will automatically launch and the new page will be displayed there. More precisely, it was like that before. On new devices, when you launch the application, the browser immediately opens.
To solve this problem and open links in your program, you need to override the class WebViewClient and let our application handle the links. Let's add a nested class in the code:
Private class MyWebViewClient extends WebViewClient ( @TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.N) @Override public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, WebResourceRequest request) ( view.loadUrl(request.getUrl().toString()); return true; ) // For old devices @Override public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) ( view.loadUrl(url); return true; ) )
Then in the method onCreate() let's define an instance MyWebViewClient. It can be located anywhere after the object is initialized:
WebView.setWebViewClient(new MyWebViewClient());
Now in our application created WebViewClient, which allows any specified URL selected in to be loaded into the container itself, rather than having to launch the browser. The method is responsible for this functionality, in which we specify the current and desired URL. Return value true means that we do not need to launch a third-party browser, but will independently download the content from the link. In version API 24, an overloaded version of the method was added, please take this into account.
Re-launch the program and make sure that the links are now loaded in the application itself. But now another problem has arisen. We cannot go back to the previous page. If we press the BACK button on our device, we will simply close our application. To solve the new problem, we need to handle pressing the BACK button. Add a new method:
@Override public void onBackPressed() ( if(webView.canGoBack()) ( webView.goBack(); ) else ( super.onBackPressed(); ) )
We need to check what supports navigation to the previous page. If the condition is true then the method is called goBack(), which takes us one step back to the previous page. If there are several such pages, then we can sequentially return to the very first page. In this case, the method will always return the value true. When we return to the very first page from which we began our journey on the Internet, the value will return false and pressing the BACK button will be processed by the system itself, which will close the application screen.
Launch the application again. You now have your own web browser, allowing you to follow links and return to the previous page. After studying the documentation, you can equip the application with other tasty goodies for your browser.
If you need some of the links leading to your site to be opened in the browser, and local links to be opened in the application, then use a condition with different return values.
Public class MyWebViewClient extends WebViewClient ( @Override public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) ( if(Uri.parse(url).getHost()..ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse(url)); view.getContext().startActivity (intent); return true;
A universal method that will open all local links in the application, the rest in the browser (we change one line):
Public class MyAppWebViewClient extends WebViewClient ( @Override public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) ( if(Uri.parse(url).getHost().length() == 0)( return false; ) Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse(url));
view.getContext().startActivity(intent);
return true;
) )
Now let’s complicate the example a little so that the user has an alternative to standard browsers.
To make it clearer, let's rearrange the example as follows. Create two activities. On the first activity, place a button to go to the second activity, and on the second activity, place a component.
In the manifest we specify a filter for the second activity.
Code for the button to go to the second activity.
Public void onClick(View view) ( Intent intent = new Intent("ru.alexanderklimov.Browser"); intent.setData(Uri.parse("http://site/android/")); startActivity(intent); ) We created our own intent with a filter and provided data - the website address. WebView webView = findViewById(R.id.webView);
webView.setWebViewClient(new Callback());
webView.loadUrl(url.toString());
) private class Callback extends WebViewClient ( @Override public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading (WebView view, String url) ( return(false); ) ) ) In the filter for the second activity, we specified two actions. This means that any activity (read: application) can trigger your mini-browser activity in the same way. Launch any old project in the studio in a separate window or create a new one and add a button to it and write the same code that we used to click the button. Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string"ru.alexanderklimov.Browser"
, transmitted to Intent. In this case, your browser activity should have a default category and data. Let me remind you:
You can represent your string as a string constant and tell all potential users of your browser how they can run it for themselves. But Android already has such a ready-made constant
ACTION_VIEW
, which according to the documentation is the following:
Public static final java.lang.String ACTION_VIEW = "android.intent.action.VIEW"; Let's rewrite the code for the button in the second application Intent(android.content.Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("http://site/android/")); startActivity(intent);
What will happen this time? We remember that we have two actions prescribed, including
android.intent.action.VIEW
. This means that our first application with a browser must also recognize this command when some user application uses this code. The emulator has at least one such “Browser” program, and now our second activity from the first application has been added to it. A choice of two applications will appear on the screen.
Then in the program selection window, instead of the top line “Open with” or its local translation, your line will appear. But this is not the main thing. If for some reason there is not a single browser on the device, then this version of the code will not cause the application to crash, unlike the original version. Therefore, use the proposed option for the sake of reliability.
When purchasing an Android smartphone, at least one browser will be installed by default. This could be Google Chrome or some other web browser developed by the manufacturer. But, if the already installed browser does not suit you, you can download any other one from the Play Market. If you have several similar applications on your device, you need to select one of them to be used by default. The rest of the article will describe options for how this can be done.
Default browser for Android
Today, there are quite a lot of web browsers designed for Android devices. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. But, despite their differences, you can set one of them by default using three different methods. Each of them will be described in detail later in the article.
Method 1: Setting OS Settings
The most popular and easiest method of setting the default browser is to configure the OS. To install your primary web browser, follow these steps:
- Go to your smartphone's settings from the home screen or application menu.
- Open item "Applications and notifications".
- Scroll to the bottom of the list to find the line "Additional settings". Sometimes you may not see this section in the list, since it is hidden in the column "More".
- Next, select an option "Default Applications".
- Choose a section "Browser", in order to set the default web browser. You can also set settings for messages, phone, voice input and more.
- When a window appears with a list of all installed browsers, check the box next to the one you want to install as the default.
- You can now use your web browser. All links and messengers will be opened in the future in the installed browser.
This method is really very simple, and you can also set additional settings for your smartphone.
Method 2: Setting up web browsers
Using the settings, you can set any browser as the default, except the standard Google Chrome. You can complete this procedure in a few simple steps. Later in the article, using the example of the mobile version of Yandex Browser and MozillaFirefox, all the steps that must be performed to install the main web browser will be described in more detail. For other browsers the algorithm of actions will be similar.
- Open the mobile version of the browser, in the upper or lower right corner, click on the three vertical dots to open the menu.
- Find the column "Settings" or "Options" and tap it to open it.
- Find the item in the list provided "Set as default browser" and click on it. If you use Yandex Browser, you can find this section on the home page in the search bar menu.
- Next, a tab will appear on the screen in which you need to click "Settings".
- You will be taken to the settings page "Default Application". Now follow the same steps as described in steps 5, 6 and 7 of the previous method.
This option is very similar to the method described above. After completing certain actions, you will still go to the “Default Applications” section. But if you prefer this method, you can set the settings without leaving the web browser.
Method 3: active link
This option has the same advantages as the first method described. You can install any browser as the main one on your smartphone, if it provides such an option.
This method is only relevant when you downloaded a new browser from the Play Store, or the main web browser was not previously installed on your phone.
- Go to the application that has an active link, click on it to go. If a window pops up with a list of actions, select "Open".
- A tab will appear in front of you in which you need to select a web browser to open the link. This should be the browser that you want to see as the main one on your smartphone, then check the button "Always".
- The selected link will open in the marked browser, which will be set as your default.
Unfortunately, this method is not relevant for applications such as Telegram, VKontakte and the like. It may not be used in all situations. But, if you recently installed a web browser, or the default settings have been removed, this option will be the ideal solution for you.
Additional installation of a web browser to follow internal links
Certain applications have a built-in link reader called WebView. For these programs, GoogleChrome or the WebView tool already mentioned above is used as the main browser. If necessary, you can change this parameter.
Well-known web browsers do not have this function, so you will have to look among less popular browsers. You can choose viewers from different manufacturers that are already installed in the proprietary Android OS shell. Before you proceed with the steps below, make sure that you have an active menu on your smartphone "For developers".
To replace the WebView viewer, follow these steps:
- Go to settings and find the item "System", which is at the bottom of the list.
- Next, open the section "For developers". You can also find it in the main settings menu at the end of the list of actions.
- Now find the column "WebView Service" and run it.
- If you are offered several options for viewing services, select the one that suits you best by checking the checkbox.
- Now all links will open in the browser you have chosen.
Link viewer, very rarely replaced. But you can use this option if your smartphone has the option described above.
This article described all possible methods for installing the browser as the main one for an Android smartphone. Depending on the situation, you can always choose the method that suits you.
In this lesson:
Writing a simple browser
In the last lesson we saw that if we call Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string With action= Intent And data= Uri- object with http-address, then it starts browser and displays the contents of the page at this http address. We can independently make a simple browser that will respond to such an Intent and simply display the page. To do this you need to configure Intent Filter and use the component WebView.
On the first screen of the application we will have a button that sends an Intent. The second screen will have a WebView.
Let's create a project:
Project name: P0321_SimpleBrowser
Build Target: Android 2.3.3
Application name: SimpleBrowser
Package name: ru.startandroid.develop.p0321simplebrowser
Create Activity: MainActivity
Let's draw main.xml
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
There's just a button on the screen
Code MainActivity.java:
package
Import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.View.OnClickListener;
Public class MainActivity extends Activity (
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) (
setContentView(R.layout.main);
(findViewById(R.id.btnWeb)).setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() (
@Override
public void onClick(View v) (
startActivity (new Intent (Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse ("http://www.ya.ru"))) ;
}
})
;
}
}
The code is a little unusual. Please note that I do not describe the class object anywhere Button. Method findViewById returns View, and this View supports method setOnClickListener which I call. And in the method setOnClickListener I'm creating an object that implements an interface OnClickListener and in it I write the code in onClick. Also I create an object Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string not separately, but directly in the method startActivity. There was less code than usual. Maybe this option will suit you.
Let's create a second Activity. First the layout file browser.xml:
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent" >
On screen component WebView.
We create BrowserActivity.java:
package ru.startandroid.develop.p0321simplebrowser;
Import android.app.Activity;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.webkit.WebView;
Public class BrowserActivity extends Activity (
@Override
protected void onCreate (Bundle savedInstanceState ) (
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.browser);
WebView webView = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.webView);
Uri data = getIntent().getData();
webView.loadUrl(data.toString());
}
}
We define WebView, read data from Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string and pass it on line V WebView.
Now let's write it down Activity V manifesto. We will need to add to it Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string Filter, indicate in it action = Intent. And for data we see several parameters, we use Scheme= http.
It means that Uri object in Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string must contain an http address.
Don't forget about Category= Default. Label for BrowserActivity specify, for example, MyBrowser.
Also in the manifest you need to add Uses Permission = android.permission.INTERNET on the tab Permissions. So that the system gives the application access to the Internet.
Let's save everything and launch the application. We press the button and see the choice: the system offers us a choice system browser And our,just made. Those. Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string with a request to view the http address found in the system two Activity, which in their Launch the second application (the first application can be closed) and click on the button. You will not start the first application with the start screen, but immediately the second activity with a mini-browser. This way, any application can launch a browser without knowing the class name of your activity, but using only the string Filter stated that they can display http addresses.
Select our MyBrowser and see the page.
We saw that Activity in our applications can process Not only our invented action, but also systemic. And, thereby, create an alternative to system applications.
But, as you understand, we could easily not use WebView in our Activity and not show the page. It was possible to use TextView and simply display the address from data as text. Or code an http request that would download this page and display its html content. We could completely forget about the http address and show some left picture or just a dark screen.
Those. you can create an Intent Filter for an Activity, which will tell the system that the application can do something, but at the same time, there will be some nonsense inside the Activity. These are already questions of programming ethics, common sense and adequacy)
Full manifest file code:
In the next lesson:
Storing Data Using Preferences
Let's create a new application - a browser for Android devices, with our own hands, it will be interesting, and there won't be a lot of code.
Browser app for android
Let's launch android studio and create a new project, application name My Site, company domain at our discretion, I entered the website domain site. click Next, on the next tab we leave everything unchanged, click next, then the next one is already selected Empty Activity, we’ll leave it, then in the last tab we’ll change the Layout Name from activity_main to main, and click finish.
Android Studio will prepare the project files, this will take some time. Two files will be opened in the main window, main.xml And MainActivity.java, let's start working in the latter. Let's change extended AppCompactActivity to Activity and save.
Adding Permissions to the Manifest
Then open the file AndroidManifest.xml and add a custom permission after the first section user-permission,
so that our application has access to the Internet. Let's save and close AndroidManifest.xml.
Let's go to the file Main.xml, it is located on the path res/layout/main.xml, delete the line android:text="Hello Word!" completely, change TextView to WebView, remove unnecessary paddings from the properties of the main RelativeLayout layer (paddingBottom, paddingLeft, paddingRight, paddingTop).
For WebView, add the android:id="@+id/webView" property, change android:layout_width="wrap_content" and android:layout_height="wrap_content" to android:layout_width="match_parent" and android:layout_height="match_parent", for so that our WebView element fills the entire screen.
Code logic in Java
We are done with the main.xml file, let's move on to MainActivity.java. Let's add a variable wv type WebView, we’ll assign an element to it, finding it using the findViewById() function, describe the wv settings, in particular, let’s allow the WebView to execute java scripts, indicate the address for loading the site into our browser, for example, I’ll launch Yandex using the function loadUrl("http:// ya.ru").
public class MainActivity extends Activity ( WebView wv; @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) ( super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.main); wv = (WebView)findViewById(R.id.webView); WebSettings settings = wv.getSettings(); settings.setJavaScriptEnabled(true); wv..setWebViewClient(new WebViewClient());
Below we will also write the processing of pressing the back button on the device.
@Override public void onBackPressed())( if(wv.canGoBack())( wv.goBack(); )else( super.onBackPressed(); ) )
Running an application in an emulator
Click the Start button, it's a green triangle on the toolbar AndroidStudio, our emulator will start, and if everything is done correctly, after a while Yandex search will start in the browser, you can click on the virtual keyboard and search for something, everything works well.
Let’s close the program without closing the emulator itself by clicking on the red rectangle, this is Stop instead of Start, change the address to an arbitrary one, I will “promote” my site “https://site”,
I’ll click save and run the program again, this time everything will happen faster, I’ll wander around the site, in the Programming for Android section there are articles and videos on how to install and configure AndroidStudio, make an Android emulator and simple examples of programs.
Full text of AndroidManifest.xml
Full text of main.xml
Full text of MainActivity.java
package ru.maxfad.mysite; import android.app.Activity; import android.os.Bundle; import android.webkit.WebSettings; import android.webkit.WebView; import android.webkit.WebViewClient; public class MainActivity extends Activity ( WebView wv; @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) ( super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.main); wv = (WebView)findViewById(R.id.webView); WebSettings settings = wv.getSettings(); settings.setJavaScriptEnabled(true); wv..setWebViewClient(new WebViewClient()); @Override public void onBackPressed())( if(wv.canGoBack())( wv.goBack(); )else( super.onBackPressed(); ) ) )
This video shows in detail how to create a browser application for Android devices: