Set it and forget it: Chrome for Android is about to make desktop view on mobile a breeze

Mobile browsing has improved a lot in recent years, but there are still times when you need to switch to desktop view to get the most out of a website. That’s where Chrome for Android’s desktop mode toggle comes in. The only problem? It used to be a hassle to use, requiring you to set it manually each time you visited a site and there wasn’t a clear-cut way to enable it as a regular user.

But now, Google is adding a new quick setting that remembers your preference for desktop mode (per Mishaal Rahman on Twitter), making it easy to view every site this way each time you browse without any extra work.

And that’s exactly the limitation here – it’s a universal toggle, so it can’t yet be customized per website. Nonetheless, there are some types of sites that would benefit greatly from desktop view on the go, such as e-commerce and news sites as well as creative tools (even though apps are usually a better choice for the latter!)

This feature will definitely be a welcome addition for anyone who frequently switches to desktop view on their phone. Though there is a limitation, it’s still a major improvement over the old approach and makes browsing desktop-centric sites on mobile much easier.

I’m sure Google will also eventually make this per website too and potentially sync your preferences to your account, but we’ll see. I’ve yet to get the option on my Pixel 6 Pro, and we’re unsure of the exact rollout date, but stay on the lookout if you’re interested. Let me know in the comments if you would use this and if so, on what websites!