Enhanced Safe Browsing has been a part of desktop Chrome for quite some time and we also mentioned it in our article on how to improve Google Chrome security. And, after many months, Google introduced this advanced security feature to Android. According to Google, Improved Safe Browsing on Chrome minimizes security threats by 20% on desktop and 25% on Android, which is a significant number. So, if you want to enable Enhanced Safe Browsing on Chrome for Android, follow it. But before that, let’s find out what exactly Enhanced Safe Browsing is.
What is Enhanced Safe Browsing on Chrome for Android?
To protect users on the web, Google maintains what is called a Safe Browsing Block List. It contains a list of dangerous and potentially dangerous website URLs. Google updates this list every 30 minutes and Chrome on your desktop or smartphone fetches this list locally every 30 minutes.
However, there are instances where sophisticated phishing websites change the domain name within that 30 minute window which slips into Google’s blocklist. So, to combat this huge problem, Google has implemented an improved Safe Browsing on Chrome which checks the website for threats and updates the block list in real time. This way, not only you, but billions of users across the web can be protected from harmful websites with instant reporting.
The only problem with this approach is that Google has to send the URL to its servers to verify them and the data is temporarily linked to your Google account (in practice, browsing data is anonymized). Google says this is done to protect you on various Google services like Google Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, etc.
For some privacy-conscious users, this may seem like another Google data collection exercise, but it is of your own volition that you want to temporarily transmit your browsing data to Google. In my opinion, for older users who have no idea about the dark side of the web, upgrading to Enhanced Safe Browsing would be a very good option.
Enable Enhanced Safe Browsing on Chrome for Android
1. First, update Chrome to the latest version from Play Store. If you don’t have an update, you can download the latest Chrome from APKMirror (To free). For your information, you should be on Chrome 86.0.4240.114 and above to be able to access Enhanced Safe Browsing.
2. Then open chrome://flags and search for “safe browsing“. Now enable two Chrome flags, “Enhanced Safe Browsing Protection on Android” and “Security Section on Android”. When done, press “Relaunch”.
3. Now open the Chrome Settings page and switch to “ Privacy and Security“. Here, you will find the “Safe Browsing” option at the bottom. Open it.
4. Now you will have three options: Enhanced Protection, Standard and No Protection. Tap “Enhanced Protection” and you’re done. You can also tap the arrow next to learn more about enhanced protection on Chrome. Enabling it will check URLs in real time and improve your overall security in Google products.
5. Similarly, you can choose “standard coverage which is also enabled by default. This method will not check the website with Chrome’s block list in real time, but every 30 minutes.
Improve your security on Android with Enhanced Safe Browsing
This is how you can enable Enhanced Safe Browsing on Chrome for Android. I would say for general users who don’t have much idea about web and security, this security feature should be turned on. This will help them stay away from deceptive sites and keep them safe from all corners. Anyway, it all comes from us. If you want to learn more about these Chrome tips and tricks, follow our linked guide. And if you face any issues, let us know in the comments section below.
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