Selecting the Default Browser in Facebook on Android

September 8th, 2021
browser, tech
On mobile, when an app wants to open a web page, it has three options:
  1. Use the user's default browser. You leave the app entirely, and switch to the browser. History, logins, autofill, etc work as the user expects.

  2. (Android only) Use a "custom tab". Same as #1, except the app has a bit of control over appearance (bottom toolbar, custom menu, etc). Also some apps [shakes fist] don't respect your default browser, and always use Chrome for the tab.

  3. Use an "in-app browser". It is as if the app has implemented their own web browser, where you are logged out of every site, history is not shared, and they are able to inject arbitrary JavaScript into the pages you visit.

I mildly prefer #1 over #2, but strongly prefer either to #3. In-app browsers add friction with no benefit, don't respect user choice, make it harder for Firefox etc, and are insecure (more).

If you click on an external link in Facebook for Android, you'll get something like:

That's their in-app browser. You might think to turn it off you could click the three dots:

And "Go to Settings":

There used to be an option here to turn off the in-app browser, but now the only options are to configure it. Dead end.

To turn it off you need to go back to the Facebook home screen, go into "Settings & Privacy", and click "Media":

At the bottom of the page there's an option for "Links open externally":

While I wish Facebook just used the default browser, moving the setting to somewhere unreachable from the in-app browser is somewhere between "intentionally user-hostile" and "failure to think about how users interact with browser choice settings".

Referenced in: Opening Facebook Links Externally

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Ozy at LessOnline!

I will once again be a guest at LessOnline, alongside many other writers whom you no doubt like less than you like me: Scott Alexander, dynomight, Georgia Ray, David Friedman, Nicholas Decker, Jacob Falkovich, Kelsey Piper, Alicorn, Aella, etc.

via Thing of Things March 23, 2026

Daycares and the Brown School

As someone in Somerville I notice that there are quite high prices regarding childcare. The average family in Somerville pays $1,100 to $3,500 for daycare per month, and I want to make the costs more affordable. I have also noticed that housing is quite …

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts March 22, 2026

2025-26 New Year review

This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Highlights include a minimal group house, the usefulness…

via Victoria Krakovna January 19, 2026

more     (via openring)