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:

Parenting standards and the village

Cartoons Hate Her has written about the village nobody wants. In principle, parents usually want a community to help take care of their kids: someone to bring meals when they get sick, keep an eye on their children while they play, and talk to about paren…

via Thing of Things December 19, 2025

Opinionated takes on parenting

This post is a collection of parenting takes that sometimes go through my head, based on my experience raising our two boys (5 and 2 years old). All of this is based on my experience and might not apply to others (see the law of equal and opposite advice)…

via Victoria Krakovna December 16, 2025

How to Make a Christmas Wreath

Yesterday, I made a Christmas wreath. Here's how to make one. First, find an evergreen tree near your house. Clip off a few branches from the tree. Try to have as many leaves or needles on the branches as possible. Next, bring them home. What I usu…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts December 6, 2025

more     (via openring)