New Google Chrome App

[gpixel]

What do you think of the new Google Chrome App? 👎🤮

[srlawren]

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@Korth wrote:

Blokada's site says:

"Please note: The full-featured version, due to Google's business model, isn't allowed on Google Play..."

Straight truth. I suspect a lot of people will still rather put blind trust in Google than trust in some "no name" bunch of opensource xda hacker nerds. But whatever. We all make choices. I choose to not passively tolerate ad garbage spewed in my face.

But if Blokada isn't Google Play ... then it only works on rooted devices, yes? Google-locked devices will only install apps through Google Play, so Blokada isn't an option on them, yes?

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@Korth forgot to mention this part.  Yeah the version on the Play Store is quite neutered and I would not recommend it.  But any Android can download and install the APK through Blokada's site.  You will get prompted to allow it to install, as a safety precaution.

[Korth]

@srlawren 

Nothing ever blocks 100% ... but it's easy enough to block mutant incursions (along with their entire new species) as needed.

Blokada looks good. I'll install it on a Chrome (not chromium/Brave) setup and give it a whirl. I'm not convinced VPN actually accomplishes anything useful on cellular devices (because cellular triangulation/handover already knows exactly where your device is located and which subscriber it is) but if it doesn't add too much lag then it can't hurt.

I also like the dark/grey theme default. A mark of tasteful sophistication. But that's just a stylistic preference, lol.

Blokada's site says:

"Please note: The full-featured version, due to Google's business model, isn't allowed on Google Play..."

Straight truth. I suspect a lot of people will still rather put blind trust in Google than trust in some "no name" bunch of opensource xda hacker nerds. But whatever. We all make choices. I choose to not passively tolerate ad garbage spewed in my face.

But if Blokada isn't Google Play ... then it only works on rooted devices, yes? Google-locked devices will only install apps through Google Play, so Blokada isn't an option on them, yes?

[srlawren]

@Korth I'm a fan of Blokada (https://blokada.org/index.html).  It now has a full VPN option (which I don't use), but even without it it installs as a VPN and then only does DNS lookup filtering based on configurable and open-sourced allow/block lists.  So it acts as an ad blocker but not just in the browser.  It doesn't block 100% of ads but does a pretty good job in my experience, with little to no noticeable impact on performance or battery life.

[Korth]

@yanzhiqiang 

Install an adblocker and a scriptblocker. Or install a chromium-based browser (like Brave) which has them built in. You can hold-click obnoxious objects to add them into the blocked list. You can use simple sliders to enable/disable them on sites you visit, just one time or every time, so the blockers won't break functionality on rudely insistent sites.

Some estimates are that Google generates almost two thirds of its revenue from online ads and tracking - AdClick and DoubleClick, Google Ads and AdWords, Google Ad Manager, Google Analytics, etc. So of course google's own browser isn't going to block paid-to-google advertising and money-for-google data mining, it'll only block the ones google doesn't care about. It's exactly why Google (and Apple, and Microsoft, and Samsung) are so aggressive about installing their own browsers into consumer internet devices. Most people are simply unaware there are alternatives or can't be bothered to upgrade what already works or are worried about breaking something - but you can always uninstall apps you don't like, you can always hard-reset back to factory settings if you suspect an app has somehow wrecked the operating system.

[srlawren]

@gpixel I didn't like the tab groups at first either but I've gotten used to them and find them pretty helpful.  It helps prevent a proliferation of new tabs in my typical browsing style, and I can keep related things together.

[gpixel]

@srlawren sorry about that. I don't visit the lounge often. I updated chrome and the new update enabled "group tabbing" as you can see on the bottom there. and it was pretty annoying to deal with. nonetheless I was able to disable it through chrome://flags 👍 all is well 🤓

[Korth]

The only google thing I've been trying out lately has been 100,000 Stars.

[srlawren]

@gpixel what's your complaint with Chrome?  It's not clear from the screen shot.

[gpixel]

@yanzhiqiang really? maybe you have a virus/malware on your device... check your apps on your phone and make sure there isn't anything installed that you don't recognize

[yanzhiqiang]

My google chrome always has popups say you win a Samsung phone. annoying.