Samsung Internet v6.2 is Now Stable, Adds Night Mode, Tracking Blocker and More
When it comes to web browsers on Android, Google Chrome remains the most popular option simply because of the fact that it is installed by default on Android phones. However, we are now seeing a surge in popularity for third-party web browsers, and Samsung Internet has been riding on the very top of that surge.
Samsung recently announced that its Internet browser, previously available only for Galaxy and Nexus/Pixel devices, would be available for all Android 5.0+ devices. Version 6 of the app has been in beta stage since then, but this will change soon, as Samsung Internet v6.2 is now in the stable channel and will soon be released on the Play Store.
The browser is based on the Chromium engine at its core, and in v6.2, the Chromium engine has been updated to M56. On Samsung Galaxy devices, Samsung Internet has offered better JavaScript web performance than Google Chrome on the same hardware, thanks to optimizations.
Night Mode and High Contrast Mode on Samsung Internet
There are several new features in v6.2. Samsung has added Night Mode and High Contrast mode to its browser, to reduce eyestrain by cutting down on the amount of bright light. Night Mode works by reducing the amount of bright light in web pages, and is intended for users browsing in bed. It can be turned on by tapping on the ‘Turn on Night mode’ menu. High Contrast Mode, on the other hand, will show white text with a black background, and is intended as an accessibility feature. Users can enable it by going to Settings > Accessibility.
Content Blockers in Samsung Internet
Moving on, content blockers can be downloaded, installed and managed directly from the content blockers section in the settings of Samsung Internet. There is also a new Tracking Blocker, which will block all trackers that many websites use to follow users’ browsing activity. This will make a user’s web browsing private, and users can turn on its toggle. In Secret Mode, the tracking blocker is enabled by default. The built-in extension is powered by Disconnect Inc.
The new Tracking Blocker in Samsung Internet
Samsung Internet now also has the capability of syncing bookmarks with the desktop version of Google Chrome, thanks to a new desktop Chrome extension. Users can then access Chrome desktop bookmarks on Samsung’s mobile browser and vice versa. The ‘Sync with Samsung Cloud’ option allows syncing of bookmarks, open tabs and saved pages with all of a user’s Android devices.
The aforementioned Chromium M56 upgrade brings support for CSS grid, which gives developers the ability to create 2 dimensional layouts allowing control over columns and rows of elements.
In the US, Samsung Pay will be available to use for Web Payments. Users can also earn Samsung Rewards points in a variety of ways on Samsung Pay-eligible devices by using Samsung Internet. Finally, v6.2 of the browser will introduce some experimental new features that can be enabled via internet://flags, such as WebVR, Web Bluetooth, WebGL 2, and GamePad Extensions.
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