Chrome for iOS updated with fullscreen iPhone browsing and new print options

By Cody Lee on Apr 9, 2013

Good news Chrome users, Google has updated its popular browser for iOS today. The update, which brings the app to version 26.0.1410.50, features a few handy new additions, including fullscreen browsing for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The app includes a few UI changes that make the new fullscreen browsing mode work, and a few new print and save options. Users can now print web pages with Google Cloud Print, or AirPrint, and save pages as PDF files to Google Drive… Read More

 

Chrome for iOS updated to fix jailbreak-related startup crash

By Cody Lee on Mar 12, 2013

Last week, Google rolled out an update for its Chrome browser on iOS. The update included a new sharing feature, the ability to quickly view your browsing history, and unfortunately, a major bug for jailbroken devices.

Users on jailbroken iPhones and iPads noticed that after installing the update, Chrome would crash upon startup. And it’s a good thing we found a fix for it when we did, because Google is just now getting around to it… Read More

 

How to stop Chrome from crashing after recent update

By Cody Lee on Mar 5, 2013

Google updated its iOS web browser yesterday to build 25.0.1364.86. The update brought about a handful of new features and improvements, including the option to share web pages via Messages and a tweaked Omnibox.

Unfortunately, the update also appears to have included a bug that, for a lot jailbreak users, causes Chrome to crash almost instantly after launch. But never fear, we’ve come across a way to fix this issue in just a few short steps… Read More

 

Chrome updated with key background audio feature

By Cody Lee on Dec 14, 2012

Google released a nice little update for Chrome yesterday, bringing the app to version 23.0.1271.96 (yeah, I know right). The update only brings two changes to the popular iOS web browser: a fix for a character encoding bug, and the added ability to listen to audio playing from within the app while it’s in the background… Read More

 

WebOffline for Chrome brings offline web page reading to Google’s iOS browser

By Jeff Benjamin on Nov 12, 2012

WebOffline for Chrome is a new jailbreak tweak that integrates offline reading capability directly into the Google Chrome browser for iOS. As someone who does a lot of offline reading, and as someone who’s a huge Google Chrome proponent, this sounded like the perfect tweak for me. Sadly, the tweak falls short due to its bugs.

As you’ll see in our hands-on video, WebOffline for Chrome has tons of potential, but unfortunately it needs a few more hours in the oven before it’s really ready for primetime. Read More

 

Google Chrome updated with iPhone 5 support

By Jeff Benjamin on Sep 24, 2012

My favorite iOS browser, Google Chrome, has been updated to support the larger screen size of the iPhone 5. The update accompanies iOS 6 compatibility, as well as the often included stability and security improvements.

All of you who were using Safari in the interim, can now return to your regularly scheduled program. Read More

 

Chrome updated with new social features and more

By Cody Lee on Aug 22, 2012

Great news for all of you Chrome fans out there, Google has just pushed out a nice little update for its popular third-party browser.

The new release features a handful of changes, including new sharing options, stability improvements, and bug fixes… Read More

 

How to enable the Nitro Javascript engine for Google Chrome

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 30, 2012

“Chrome will never be as good as Safari,” many lamented upon Chrome’s iOS debut, “It doesn’t have access to Apple’s private Nitro Javascript Engine.” If your device isn’t jailbroken, that still rings true, but if it is, then not so much anymore.

That’s because Nitrous — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — unlocks the Nitro Javascript engine for alternative browsers like Google Chrome. Does it make a difference? Yes. Check inside and see for yourself. Read More

 

Chrome Download Manager lets you download files with Google Chrome on iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 28, 2012

We all knew something better than Chrome Download Enabler was inevitable, and now it’s finally here. Chrome Download Manager is a jailbreak tweak that was released just a few minutes ago to allow downloads via the Google Chrome browser.

Considering it has a name that’s similar to the legendary Safari Download Manager, I’d say it has some pretty big shoes to fill. Does Chrome Download Manager live up to its expectations? Read More

 

Getting more out of Google Chrome

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 19, 2012

Now that Google Chrome has been out for a while on iOS, it’s a good time to sit back and reevaluate its value. Should you ditch Safari for Chrome? Is Chrome good for jailbreakers? How do you get more out of Chrome?

Inside we’ll take a look at various ways that you can make your Google Chrome experience more rewarding. Even if you’re not a jailbreaker there are plenty of ways you can still benefit… Read More

 

How to add a traditional refresh button to Google Chrome

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 19, 2012

The way Google Chrome for iOS handles its refresh/stop functionality is a bit unorthodox. You have to first open a menu, and then tap the refresh or stop button to perform the action.

While it may seem like a small deal, I’ve found that this extra step is a bit frustrating in real world usage. Thankfully, as you may have guessed, the jailbreak community has responded with an answer.

EasyRefresh for Chrome is that answer — it’s a jailbreak tweak that adds a traditional refresh button to Google Chrome for iOS… Read More

 

How to download files with Google Chrome on iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 18, 2012

Just a few minutes ago, a new tweak entitled Chrome Download Enabler appeared on Cydia. Excited about the prospect of finally being able to download files via the Google Chrome Browser on iOS, I quickly paid the somewhat steep $2.00 asking fare, and jumped in.

What did I find? Chrome Download Enabler works well, allowing you to download files that you ordinarily wouldn’t be able to in Google Chrome. It’s not pretty like Safari Download Manager, but as you’ll see in the following video walkthrough, it does get the job done… Read More

 

Chrome accounts for 10.3% of third-party browsers on iOS

By Cody Lee on Jul 17, 2012

Google pushed out its widely popular Chrome browser to iOS last month to much fanfare. In fact, it took less than 24 hours for the app to reach the #1 spot in the App Store’s list of top free offerings.

Now here we are, nearly a month later, and the initial buzz has warn off. So how many people are still using the browser? A new report from online advertising firm Chitika gives us some insight… Read More

 

How to add a Google Chrome inspired Omnibox to Safari

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 10, 2012

As you all have probably figured out by now, I’m a huge fan of Google Chrome. There are many reasons why I prefer Chrome over any other web browser, and one of the foremost reasons has to do with the Omnibox.

The Omnibox in Google chromes combines your normal address box with a search box for an all encompassing box that conveniently performs both functions. Other browsers have been slow about adopting this obvious improvement in navigation, but at least Apple is starting to show some signs that they plan on heading in that direction — Safari on OS X Mountain Lion features an Omnibox, after all.

When it comes to iOS, though, Safari is still lagging a bit behind. Even the iOS 6 beta version of Safari lacks this feature. That’s where this new jailbreak tweak plans to step up to the plate. Safari Omnibar is a recently released tweak that adds an Omnibox to Safari, whether Apple plans to do so or not. Read More

 

ChromeURL allows you to use the standard web keyboard with Google Chrome

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 1, 2012

One of the few big complaints about Google Chrome is the fact that Google inexplicably left out TLD (top level domain) keyboard shortcuts in favor of their own custom keyboard layout.

In mobile Safari, these shortcuts allow you to tap and hold the “.com” button to bring up an alternate list of TLDs like .org, .net, etc. On Chrome, however, Google opted for a different styled keyboard that lacks these shortcuts.

As usual, the jailbreak community has come to the rescue with a fix — this one in near record time. The fix is called ChromeURL, and it’s a free jailbreak tweak downloadable from Cydia’s BigBoss repo. Its purpose is to perform one function, and one function only — replace the Chrome keyboard with the same keyboard present in the stock mobile Safari browser… Read More

 

Chromizer adds full screen mode, pull to refresh, and better tab switching to Google Chrome on iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 1, 2012

Chromizer is a free jailbreak tweak that will be available tomorrow on Cydia. Its purpose, as its name not-so-subtly alludes to, is to add additional functionality to the recently released Google Chrome browser for iOS.

A tweak that’s compatibile with both the iPhone and iPad, Chromizer seeks to add a few missing features to the browser’s otherwise excellent stock feature set. For its initial release, Chromizer focuses on adding three new functions to the iPad: Pull to Refresh, full screen mode, and iPhone styled tab switching. For the iPhone, you’ll get the full screen mode and pull to refresh, since it already has the tab switching area covered.

Is Chromizer a tweak that you should consider if you have a jailbroken iOS device, and Google Chrome is your browser of choice? Check inside for the answer… Read More

 

How to easily use bookmarklets in Google Chrome for iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 30, 2012

A few minutes ago John Gruber tweeted about the lack of bookmarklet support in Chrome for iOS. I responded to him stating that support is indeed there, it just wasn’t as straightforward as it is on Safari.

To tell the truth, I too thought that bookmarklets, or the lack thereof, was simply a medium sized oversight made by Google; after all, such things are instrumental when it comes to using tools like LastPass, Instapaper, etc.

After some tinkering around, however, I was able to confirm that bookmarklet support is indeed included in the version of Chrome that shipped a few days ago. In fact, using them is a fairly straightforward exercise. Check inside for the full how-to… Read More

 

How to open Home screen shortcuts with Google Chrome

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 29, 2012

Earlier in the day we covered BrowserChooser, a jailbreak tweak developed by Ryan Petrich, which allows you to assign Google Chrome as your default web browser.

It’s a great tweak, and works exactly as expected; it was even recently updated with a few new additions such as the ability to have a dialogue to select your browser of choice when opening a link, and the ability to make the dialogue sheets say “Open with Chrome” instead of “Open with Safari”.

One thing BrowserChooser doesn’t do, however, (at least for the time being that is) is allow you to open Home screen shortcuts/bookmarks created via Safari with Google Chrome. Browser Changer is a tweak that’s been around for a very long time, and it was recently updated to allow you to do just that.

Check out our hands-on walkthrough inside… Read More

 

Top 10 Google Chrome features for iOS

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 29, 2012

As we reported yesterday, Google Chrome was released on iOS and it was met with much fanfare. Although it’s not, and probably never will be as fast as Safari (unless Apple decides to even the playing field), it tries to make up for the speed difference with awesome features like cross-platform syncing, the Omnibox, and much more.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to cover 10 of our favorite things about Google Chrome for iOS. Who knows? Perhaps there will be a few items on the list that you weren’t even aware of… Read More

 

Google Chrome vs Safari speed test on iPhone

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 28, 2012

It’s funny to hear so many reports about how much slower than Safari Google Chrome will inevitably be, due to its lack of access to the Nitro Javascript engine. While that may be true from a technical standpoint, and no doubt data heads will be able to show me numbers that back that fact up, in real world usage, such stats tend to be tossed to the sidelines.

I’m not going to claim that the following speed test is anything close to scientific, but it will give you a decent idea as to what to expect from Google Chrome.

So, who won our speed test? Check inside for the details… Read More

 
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