Chrome for Android goes global: adds languages, supported countries, and new features

April 17, 2012 | by Andrew Kameka

Chrome for Android has become the best browser app on Android for me. The only shortcoming is that it doesn’t support Adobe Flash, something I use often, so it’s not an exclusive option for me. But if you’re someone who doesn’t care about Flash and have been patiently waiting for Chrome to work outside of the United States, I’ve got good news and better news you might want to hear.

Google announced today that Chrome for Android is now available anywhere with access to Google Play, provided that you have an Android 4.0 phone or tablet. In addition to crossing more borders, the browser now includes 31 languages in case you wish to localize it into your native or local tongue. It’s the latest in a short string of incremental updates that have made Google’s products available in more non-U.S. places.

There’s good news for Americans, too. Google has finally added the ability to change views and and request a desktop version of a website. You can do this by pressing three dots on the Action bar and selecting “Request desktop site.”

Other new features include:

You can now add bookmarks as shortcuts on your home screen, so you can get to your favorite sites faster.
Choose your favorite apps to handle links opened in Chrome.
Have a proxy setup for Wi-Fi access? You can now use Chrome with the system proxy configured in Android settings.
Complex Text Layout (CTL) and Right to Left (RTL) text support in rendered pages
Enable old-style YouTube embed content to be played via native YouTube app
Support for country-specific suggested search engines.

Download Chrome for Android from Google Play. An Android 4.0 device is required to use it.

android apps, android browser, browser, browsers, Chrome, web browser

5 Comments

Sweet James Jones says:

April 17, 2012 at 3:35 pm

They need to write a check to Adobe and get Flash back going on Android. Without Flash, there is no reason to get an Android tablet instead of an iPad. I use Chrome on my desktop, but there is no way that I would use it on my tablet without Flash. I’m not going back and forward between two browsers.
K.Townsend says:

April 17, 2012 at 7:07 pm

Adobe has already said they are stopping development of mobile flash so it really is a moot point now isn’t it. Google has little say in Adobe’s actions. Personally I can see the reasons for stopping it and I can see reasons to continue supporting at least until html 5 really gets a stable wide foundation on the web. Flash has always been kinda iffy on my phones starting with the nexus one, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t work right or at all. Doess’t seem to matter if it s on a dual-core powerhouse tablet/phone or a single core phone.
- Sweet James Jones says:
  
  April 17, 2012 at 9:25 pm
  
  I agree that the Flash implementation is mediocre, but I don’t want to be at the mercy of app developers for streaming content. When I’m watching TV shows using Flash that there isn’t an app for or would require a purchase of Hulu Plus, it underscores the value of Flash. HTML 5 may be the Steve Job’s hyped unicorn of the future that will save his awful incomplete Flashless devices, but what am I supposed to do right now? I’m sure a truckload of cash and a little strong arming could have swayed Adobe.
Theunis says:

April 18, 2012 at 3:59 am

Are there any plans to roll out Chrome to other versions of Android?
- Andrew Kameka says:
  
  April 18, 2012 at 11:42 am
  
  doesn’t appear that way sadly.

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