We usually download applications for easier access to services, me first. And we often forget that all the software that makes the phone thicker is not essential: we can save space, energy and protect our privacy with what we already have installed. Because if there is already an app that solves most tasks on the smartphone, why download more? This is my ode to the web browser.
“There’s an app for everything”, this saying is more than true: I’ve verified it over the years. And I would add a second motto: «The web browser is the app for everything». A la Alexandre Dumas and the Musketeers (or the Musketeers, whichever is valid): this application, with which we will visit the pages, can replace most of the software installed on the phone. Although this means a little more effort than simply calling up an app, it has considerable additional benefits.
The web browser used is unknown
Microsoft time from web browser (web app)
I very much doubt that there is anyone who does not use the web browser on their Android on a daily basis, it is a simple app when searching information on Google, accessing an online shop or buying tickets for the next cinema trip. All these actions can be done with apps, here comes the atomization of software for smartphones. Despite this, there are a number of tasks that remain the property of Google Chrome and the company.
In retrospect, the internet was associated exclusively with the web browser. Say “I’m going online”. That was equivalent to connecting to the network and opening the browser in turn. I started using Mosaic Spyglass. Since then it has rained. Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Firefox… and Google Chrome, currently the most used web browser in the world (65% use it), have passed through my hands. That it comes pre-installed on Android phones adds to Google’s supremacy in the browser space.
Although the web browser continued to be a cornerstone of our use of the Internet, its needs were gradually diluted by the fall to the various applications that provide direct access to Internet platforms and services. It may seem that this way we use the services more fully and easily, which is the case in the vast majority of cases, but this has counterparts for our mobile experience.
Believe it or not, the web browser on your phone covers almost all of the use you make of the device. Even tasks that appear to be exclusive to apps:
The web browser gives you access to all major social networks. You can use TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram; although there are services that are only covered by the apps (e.g. publishing content in some). From the browser you can check the maps and even use the GPS navigation. No need to open Google Maps, the website has a mobile version that’s almost as good (and super easy). The web browser allows you to use WhatsApp instant messaging. It has a trick, because you need to launch the account from an installed application, but once the launch is complete, you no longer need the app on your phone. And the same thing happens with Telegram (if you have registered the mobile number, you don’t even need to install the app). Watch YouTube outside of the app. With the Google account logged into the web browser, YouTube works without major problems. This is extensible to a large subset of multimedia content platforms. You can use the browser to install the applications. This browser opens the door to APK downloads so you can install everything you need on your Android. In addition, you can also download the apps via Google Play: open the store in your browser, sign in and install the software on the phone remotely.
All previous usages which are majority in smartphone day by day are provided by web browser. They usually require a bit more work, especially as sites insist on forcing the app to be installed before loading the mobile version (this is usually solved by activating desktop mode in the browser), but once the sites are saved in favorites, loading Twitter, WhatsApp or YouTube is a two-step matter. And you can always save these pages as charms on your Android desktop, some even as web apps.
To prevent sites from trying to download your apps, open them in desktop mode. And then add the ones you use the most at the beginning
Yes, there is one type of software that is a bit more reserved than the web browser: games. The most popular ones are usually downloaded in the form of an application. There is no simple solution to this. Still, there is a huge amount of web browser games that you can have fun with without downloading a single application.
Benefits of using the web browser for everything
Most obviously, you’ll save a lot of space on your phone, since you’re using a single app to cover storage space that would require a whole bunch of additional software. With current phones, it doesn’t make that much sense to reduce the occupancy of each app to the maximum, quite the opposite of what happens with phones that start off somewhat limited.
Aside from saving space, there are other benefits to covering all phone usage just with the help of the browser.
You save a lot of battery. All it takes is a bit of math: multiple apps running in the background instead of just one. If you have notifications in the browser, it will always consume something else, but never at the level of a handful of installed apps. They improve your privacy. The web browser gives you better control so that the services do not take over your private data. Block cookies, limit identifiers, browse privately… Depending on your browser, you have more or fewer options to protect your privacy. You can avoid the ads. Blocking ads in the browser is much easier than in apps: Brave, vivaldi or DuckDuckGo, for example, have integrated “ad blockers”. It’s much easier to clean everything stored on the phone. Through the browser configuration you can clear the cache and all the cookies that the various services have stored. You can also use these services without the data being saved: private browsing is good for that. one for all
If one app covers most of the rest of the apps, why bother installing all this software on your phone? The centralization of usage in the web browser has its logical disadvantages, e.g. B. an increased number of steps for general actions and certain options that appear unavailable, but you’ve already seen all the benefits it offers in return. I make the replacements on my phones, I install fewer and fewer applications.
Let’s go back to the days when the web browser was the only window to everything the internet had to offer. Or maybe we shouldn’t be so extreme, only partially: let’s avoid using apps for tasks that can be done with two clicks from the browser. Our cell phone will thank you.
