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In September 2021, Google started testing making websites default to desktop views on its Chrome browser for mobile. However, the toggle switch to enable this feature is hidden deep in Chrome settings, obstructing its visibility to many users. Almost two years later, the company is finally simplifying the process. The “Desktop site” checkmark in the overflow menu is now enough to remember your site preference.
Google Chrome for mobile makes it easier to default sites to desktop views
While most websites are optimized for mobile screens, or any screen size for that matter, not all of them are. More importantly, mobile versions of some websites are less user-friendly and often don’t show everything that you get on the desktop version. To ensure that users get the best browsing experience on small screens, the best web browsers out there all offer the ability to quickly switch to the desktop version of any website. Google Chrome for mobile does that too, for a long time.
However, the implementation of this feature has been far from ideal all this while. Particularly for those who often load desktop sites rather than the mobile view. While checking the “Desktop site” box in the overflow menu reloads the website in the desktop view, Google Chrome doesn’t remember your choice. You need to do that every time you want to open the desktop version of a website. It can be annoying for frequent users, though people who seldom open desktop sites on their phones wouldn’t mind it.
The first attempt at solving this problem wasn’t much fruitful
To give the best experience to both groups of people, Chrome added a new toggle that would force websites to the desktop view by default in September 2021. Enabling would solve the problem for those who prefer desktop views. But the problem is that the toggle isn’t readily accessible. To enable it, you first need to tap on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the browser app and go to Settings > Site settings > Desktop site, and then tap on the Desktop site toggle. The feature is hidden so deep that many people aren’t aware of it.
Google has now fixed it by making the “Desktop site” checkmark in the overflow menu permanent. Once checked, it will always load websites in desktop view. You no longer need to repeat the step every time. It works independently of the hidden setting too, making the latter redundant. First reported by Android Police, this change is already available on most of our mobile devices here at Android Headlines. The update should reach all Chrome users globally in the coming weeks.