If I’m not wrong that you might be using an Android phone that’s why you’re here? Yeah, of course, the issue (“content://com.android.browser.home”) which you might have read on the title of this post has to deal with the Android phones. Since you’re using an android device then you must know that most of the Android device comes with the default browser which is Google Chrome but…
But not all manufacturers loaded Google Chrome as a default web browser for the device, some of the companies built their own browser which is the default web browser. However, you can change the default web browser on those devices too which comes with preloaded bloatware apps including browser as well.
That’s not the main intention to address such a topic in this article. The other thing which many android user aware of and i.e. content://com.android.browser.home/
What exactly content://com.android.browser.home/ is?
We have already discussed the default web browser on the Android smartphone above but there’s one more thing which comes as default state in every Android device, actually, it’s a kind of URL that defines or routes to the default HOMEPAGE in your phone’s web browser.
Google.com is the default homepage in the Google Chrome browser which is the default web browser of the Android device that comes with the Stock Android OS (The PURE Android OS without any SKIN).
Yes, some skinned Android devices manufactures are those who offer their own software built on the top of the Android, for e.g OnePlus has OxygenOS, Xiaomi has MIUI and others. So such manufactures also preloaded their own browser which has the default homepage either the manufacturer’s store kind of website or a paged flooded with the annoying Advertisements or even the lots unnecessary and irrelevant articles recommendations.
Breaking down the URL
So here content://com.android.browser.home/ comes in the picture. This URL defines the homepage of your Android browser. Well to understand how this URL works? Let us break this URL into three parts.
- content:// this allows sharing of content between the parts of the same or different applications on your Android device. To view this in developer’s perspective the content:// works the same as the intent, which allows communication between the two activities in the Android development environment.
- com.Android.browser is the package of the Android system that defines. It decides which web browser would be the default Web browser of your phone. If your phone has Chrome as the default browser, you can change it through the com.Android.browser package.
- home/ is the component of your default browser which helps the browser to open the webpage initially when it launched. Browser launches a very first page itself, known as HOMEPAGE of browser.
So this was the brief explanation of the content://com.android.browser.home/ I hope you got an idea and the functioning of this URL.
4 Steps to Change Default Browser in Android?
So know you got the idea of what it is this, so if you want to change the default browser of Android device you just need to follow these steps.
Step 1: To change the default appearance of the Android browser, first, you need to make sure that an additional browser is installed on your device. It can be Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or UC Browser.
Step 2: Once you have another browser is ready on your phone which you want to make default. Now in the App drawer locates the browser app, it might be the “Globe Icon” app with the label “Browser” or “Internet” tap and hold on it.
Step 3: Now go to “App Info” or tap on the “i” icon
Step 4: Then tap on the “Open by default” option and tap on the button CLEAR DEFAULTS.
That’s it. Whenever you’ll try to open a link it will ask you in which app do want to open this link, then select the browser and tap on the option “Always” to make this browser default browser of your device which implies on the com.Android.browser in content://com.android.browser.home/ URL.
What to do when content://com.android.browser.home/ doesn’t work?
If you’re not able to change the default browser of your Android device with steps mentioned above, then it might be trouble for those for who’s using a Manufactured based Android smartphone. (SKINNED ANdroid as I’ve mentioned above)
They don’t really want you to uninstall their app and those apps you can’t remove are called Bloatware, we have a separate guide on to remove System apps on any Android device.
But for content://com.android.browser.home/ you need to use another app which will help you to change your default browser even if you’re using a manufactured based Andriod SKIN OS smartphone. So you can install the BEtter Open With, it is the free Android application used to change the default apps for every file type.
It gives your 100% control over the Complete action using dialog and defaults apps for different file types. Better Open WIth allows you to change the default apps for documents, Music, Videos, Package Installer, PDF and other file types.
It also provides other features like:
- Choose between grid and list view
- Set text size, show an only icon (no text) and other options
- Light and Dark themes available
- more options to follow!
So now you can easily change your default web browser on your Android device.
Remove Default Browser Using Custom ROM
Yes, custom ROMs you might have heard about that. If you’re bored with the phone’s default appearance or you’re not on the latest Android version because your manufactured didn’t release for your model, then you may consider installing a custom ROM on your phone. Custom ROM not just gives the latest Android version but also helps you to get rid of the default browser. You no need of content://com.android.browser.home/ in case of flashing a Custom ROM on your device.
There are lots of developers and communities who work on the projects to build the Custom ROMs for the Android device. If you have an Android device and want to install custom ROM.
Simply go to the forum or developer page of your brand and find your device and look if there any developer posted about the custom ROM for your device.
Moreover, you can simply Google the custom ROMs for your device as other developer community also makes the ROMs for any manufacturer device. But first, you need to make sure there are not boot loader locked of your device. Before flashing a ROM you device must be unlocked.
Conclusion
There is plenty of Web browser available for android you can check them out on the Playstore. Google recommends you use Chrome as your default web browser as they say this is the fastest web browse rin the world.
Whatever who knows which is the best browser, it depends on the user what makes him comfortable and fulfills his expectation will be his favorite browser. content://com.android.browser.home/ is what we discussed today. Hopefully now you know what exactly this URL does. So if you found this post informative then don’t forget to share this post with your friends and colleagues and subscribe to this blog for more useful posts just like this one. Stay tuned!