Like with desktop computers, the choice of a web browser for mobile is a distinctly personal one. Different browsers can offer very different experiences.
The default browsers for Android and iOS respectively are Chrome and Safari.
Chrome provides the useful ability to sync with your Google Account across all the devices you use; you log in from anywhere and all of your searches, history and presets are saved to the account.
Helpfully, this includes auto-complete settings, meaning that if you have sites that you visit regularly where you have forgotten the specific URL, the mobile version of Chrome will supply those details.
Safari is the only possible default browser on iOS and integrates seamlessly with the other features of the phone. However, some other browsers offer features and design quality that it doesn’t.
Advertising is omnipresent on mobile websites, and can be irritating when a user is relying on their cellular data connection and being served with an unwanted advert that eats up their 4G data.
For people who are particularly bothered by advertising, the AdBlock Browser is a strong choice. Free for download from both the App Store and the Google Play store, the browser is based on Firefox but with built-in adblocking.
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As for Firefox itself, it has many features that cater specifically to mobile users. The multiple tabs option, carried over from the desktop version, offers the chance to flick between different subjects or load up different articles to read while out and about or travelling.
Like with Chrome the URL bar can be used as a search bar as well, set to the default search engine of the user’s choice.
Overall, if you are buying into the overall Google or Apple experience, Chrome is a good choice. But Firefox and its derivative browsers offer some key functions that might win over others.
