Mobile web browsing in 2023 : google

[-] [email protected] 92 points 11 months ago

I had to use the mobile version of Chrome recently on a locked down work device with an MDM policy that prevented installation of other browsers. It made me realize I had no idea just how far gone the mobile web has become with ads.

As an experiment I grabbed a random article on my Google News feed for today and opened it in Chrome with no ad blocking allowed and Samsung Internet with ad blocking enabled to compare.

Chrome produces a nightmarish hell scape of ads that just gets worse the further down you scroll.

Samsung Internet isn't perfect because there is still a large banner taking up space at the top of the screen, but it blocks all of the ads in the article along with the website's own ads for other articles.

The cynic in me, however, acknowledges that the truth of the situation looks more like this, even with ad blocking enabled.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Thanks for the this, I got a chuckle. Especially gizmodo...

[-] [email protected] 90 points 11 months ago

aD BloCkeRs aRe RuINinG oUR wEbSitE!

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[-] [email protected] 74 points 11 months ago

Weird, I don't see anything like this on firefox.

[+] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

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[-] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

Sounds like a great reason not to use the home screen search bar. I use nova launcher so I can disable it completely.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Reading this just made me decide to remove the Google search bar from my home screen and put the Firefox widget there instead, but I'm a little disappointed that it really just functions as another button to open Firefox instead of letting me use the bar like it visually appears it should be.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The type of widget you're thinking of hasn't existed for a while. Google broke that functionality on Android a couple versions back. Some apps still make widgets that create the illusion it's working that way, but it really isn't.

So no, you can't have a functioning Firefox search bar on the home screen.

But you can make a widget that's basically a shortcut to the internal searchbar. One tap will:

Open the browser, create a new tab, place the cursor in the search bar, and open the keyboard.

It serves the same function: one tap then you can start typing your query and hit enter. It just doesn't do that on the homescreen.

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[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

On the Nova Launcher, you can change the default search app to Firefox.

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[-] [email protected] 44 points 11 months ago

What godawful browser is injecting that ai nonsense? The ads are bad enough but the browser itself seems to be using 1/3rd of the screen

[-] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

This is on an iPhone. They're using Microsoft's Edge "browser" which is just a reskinned Safari.

For those who don't know, Apple's developer terms explicitly state:

2.5.6 Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit JavaScript.

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

[-] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

Until Apple changes the rule to comply with new EU laws. Hope those laws will affect users globally, not just in the EU.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Hope those laws will affect users globally, not just in the EU.

Maybe. You know how Apple how is. Lol

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[+] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

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[-] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

It's not really "going out of my way to dig at Apple"

There's little reason to use any other browser on iOS because of the policy they enforce. If all you're getting is just Safari with a different face, you're literally making your browsing experience slower and worse. Some people don't know this so my comment educates them on such.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Wait. So you can't install Firefox and uBlock Origin on iPhone?

I've been contemplating moving to an iPhone but this is actually quite a big turn off.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Firefox doesn't support extensions on iOS. As it's currently impossible. Due to Apple's restrictions forcing the use of WebKit, this makes Firefox (Gecko) extensions incompatible. Additionally, Apple's own extension system for WebKit is proprietary. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-ons-firefox-ios

As far as features go, what can't natively be done is handled with JavaScript injections. As WebKit allows you to do this. Since it's locked down most take advantage of this. Naturally, injecting several functions can slow down the web experience. About the only feature IMO that will matter to most people is the ability to sync content. Such as passwords and browsing history.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Sorry, I edited my post after doing some research and came across Mozilla's own articles stating the same.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-ons-firefox-ios

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Idk why the other guys saying it’s some edge browser. This is the google app on iPhone. The bottom part pops up when you click on articles because they’re pushing their AI summaries. It’s actually a great feature but it’s annoying how much space it takes up

[-] [email protected] 43 points 11 months ago

Honestly web browsing on mobile has been a piece of sh1t for a long time, without adblockers it's a total cancer.

And even with an adblocker it's always the god damn cookie popups...

[-] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Firefox has a plugin called I Don't Care About Cookies, Which basically just ignores the pop-ups and auto except / rejects them, but for some strange reason that plugins you can add to the mobile version of Firefox are extremely limited.

Essentially the plugin implements the functionality that should have been mandated under the cookie law to begin with which makes the choice browser side rather than web side

[-] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

I think ublock has a block list for cookie notices as well

[-] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

OMG why aren't these checked by default

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[-] [email protected] 40 points 11 months ago

Firefox and uBlock Origin…. Now sadly I wish I could find something like that on iPhone.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Change the phone dns to nextdns.io or adguards dns. Use dns over https if possible.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

I use 1blocker on the iPhone. Unfortunately (iirc) they stopped doing lifetime purchase and went the subscription route. Luckily I purchased it before they did that.

It works great.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

iPhone has AdGuard pro.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Setup a PiHole. Not 100% guaranteed but it stops a lot.

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[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Firefox and reader mode is your best option for mobile.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Just use adguard on an iPhone. I see 0 ads across all apps I use.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Not sure atm what the extension I use for safari on iPhone is called, but it works great for me. I‘ll look it up when I get to it

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[-] [email protected] 27 points 11 months ago

I love how it just keep getting worst as I scroll.

[-] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Why do you choose to view ads? Inaction is a choice.

[-] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago

Yup. I work from home and have a pihole on my network at home so I've gotten used to not seeing the ads.

Was browsing on mobile data while on the road and was reminded why its necessary. It was unbearable.

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[-] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago

Would be nice if such behaviour tanked SEO

[-] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

From what I understand, web crawlers see a totally different version of the site than users do

[-] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Only due to using a different user agent, it's totally possible to build a for-the-people pagerank that would see what we see and deprioritize stuff like ads and fluff on recipe pages

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[-] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

What, you don't enjoy ads on your articles that are also ads?

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

don't you enjoy discussing with your friends and family what interesting ads you've seen lately? - what marketers think people actually do

[-] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

And yet they're baffled as to why so many people use adblockers

[-] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

huh

[-] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Just to clarify what's happening here - The top 15% of the screenshot? That's the website itself. The rest is an ad. That's actually insane.

I've been wishing for an ability to blacklist search results somehow, because of websites like this. For tech, stuff like CNET or Zdnet. For gaming, it's gamesradar, or CBR, or especially gameranx. All just garbage information with 300 cookies to feed the ad networks

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Have you considered Kagi? I've not used it but it looks like it has the exact features you want.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Spot on for what browsing without adblockers looks like. What a hellscape

[-] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Calyxos+firefox+ublock for phone

Gentoo+librewolf+ublock for the home

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