Key Takeaways
- Google testing Chrome for Android with extension support, internally termed “Desktop Android”
- This feature may initially be limited to Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices.
- While not yet confirmed, there is a possibility that extension support could eventually come to Chrome for Android on smartphones.
There are several excellent web browsers available for Android, but most users stick with Google Chrome, mainly because it comes pre-installed on the majority of devices. However, one major criticism of Chrome for Android has always been its lack of support for browser extensions — a feature its desktop counterpart has long offered. That may be about to change, though, as Google has been spotted testing a new version of Chrome for Android that supports browser extensions.
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According to Android expert Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority), Google has started testing a new version of Chrome for Android that could finally support browser extensions. However, there’s a catch — it might only be available on select devices. Rahman reports that Google has been experimenting with a “desktop” version of Chrome aimed at devices like Chromebooks, as the company is working to unify Chrome builds for Android and Chrome OS.
As part of this effort, Google has been testing a new version of Chrome for Android, internally dubbed “Desktop Android,” which could bring extension support to these devices, aligning it with other desktop browsers. Google has even submitted multiple patches to the Chromium Gerrit aimed at adding this support, and a company engineer confirmed that one of the new features in “Desktop Android” is indeed extension compatibility.
Google spotted testing a version of Chrome for Android with extension support
That said, the project tracker specifies that “any work related to mobile platforms is explicitly out-of-scope,” indicating that standard Chrome for Android on smartphones is not yet being tested for extension support. Still, Rahman notes that there might be hope for mobile users, as the Desktop Android builds can currently run on mobile devices as well. However, at this stage, extensions don’t actually work, so there’s no real benefit for smartphone users yet.
Nonetheless, we’re hopeful that extension support might finally make its way to Chrome on Android. It’s surprising that Google Chrome still doesn’t officially support extensions, especially when other top browsers like Firefox, Samsung Internet, and several Chromium-based alternatives already offer this feature.
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This might be due to concerns about the widespread use of ad-blockers on mobile devices, but it’s clear that users want this functionality, and it seems like Google might finally be heading in the right direction by considering extensions for Chrome on Android. We just hope it becomes a reality sooner rather than later.