So, brand spanking new Lumia 920, gorgeous, easy to use etc.
One problem, is there any way to change the search options in the browser?
I'm talking about when you type a search directly into the browser address bar. There is the option to choose between google and bing but the search results are displayed in the mobile format despite having set the view option to Desktop.
I really can't be bothered to have to go to the google site every time I need to search something. Yes I know Bing is there, and I'm completely sold on every other aspect of it as well as windows, but this is the search engine I have been using for years and I don't want to change any time soon.
Has anybody found some hidden option or setting somewhere that could sort this out?
Go to google.com
Pin To Start.
Now just tap that tile to launch into google search every time. You'll need to set the settings on the google site for mobile or desktop view.
kyrirhcp said:
So, brand spanking new Lumia 920, gorgeous, easy to use etc.
One problem, is there any way to change the search options in the browser?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Go to the settings>advanced settings for the browser and set the default to Google.
I think Google is playing with Microsoft
zolgi said:
I think Google is playing with Microsoft
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe Google also has an app in the store.
1. Download
2. Pin to Start
3. ......
4. Profit
Had to do that
Related
Thanks to the awesome power of Google, I found the path to the "UAString" setting.
Many posts on XDA are a little more advanced than NOOB that refer to this setting.
Why would you want to have the browser default to desktop view? Because we have big screens and most mobile sites are HUGE on this screen. This post is not about auto zoom.
Open the Default Browser, type about:debug in the address bar.
Open the menu in the upper right hand corner.
Open settings.
Bottom left panel, open debug.
Third down on the right, open UAString.
Choose desktop from the popup menu.
"What did I just do?" You set the browser to identify the tablet as a desktop. The internet is so smart that it displays pages according to the type of device requesting the page. But internet thinks Android is a mobile platform and sends you a mobile view by default. Pretty cool, huh? So now you've outsmarted the internet. Sit back and enjoy.
PS: I did search the forum. I couldn't find out how to "set the UAString", thus, the new thread.
CaptainKelley said:
Thanks to the awesome power of Google, I found the path to the "UAString" setting.
Many posts on XDA are a little more advanced than NOOB that refer to this setting.
Why would you want to have the browser default to desktop view? Because we have big screens and most mobile sites are HUGE on this screen. This post is not about auto zoom.
Open the Default Browser, type about:debug in the address bar.
Open the menu in the upper right hand corner.
Open settings.
Bottom left panel, open debug.
Third down on the right, open UAString.
Choose desktop from the popup menu.
"What did I just do?" You set the browser to identify the tablet as a desktop. The internet is so smart that it displays pages according to the type of device requesting the page. But internet thinks Android is a mobile platform and sends you a mobile view by default. Pretty cool, huh? So now you've outsmarted the internet. Sit back and enjoy.
PS: I did search the forum. I couldn't find out how to "set the UAString", thus, the new thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well documented. Props! Btw this should work for all if not most android devices and the stock browser. People may choose to do this if they don't want to have several different browsers.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
cool find but why can't you just select "request desktop site" from the menu? I already had that selected and desktop was already enabled in the debug settings.
sdynak said:
cool find but why can't you just select "request desktop site" from the menu? I already had that selected and desktop was already enabled in the debug settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like that box is website dependant. If you go to another site, you have to check it again, like it's cookie or cache dependant.
So this method sticks after browser is shutdown or device reboots? Or will these need to be applied every time?
CaptainKelley said:
Seems like that box is website dependant. If you go to another site, you have to check it again, like it's cookie or cache dependant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok.. yhea I do see that.. maybe it stays by website .. have not played with enough to see when it does stick or not.. hopefully this will.
I'll just stick to ICS browser +.They got it right the 1st time.
sdynak said:
ok.. yhea I do see that.. maybe it stays by website .. have not played with enough to see when it does stick or not.. hopefully this will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you have to request desktop site every time you open a new tab in the ICS browser, which is quite annoying if you always want to open websites in 'desktop' mode.
even with the ua string set to desktop it would still bring up mobile versions of sites for me all the time. quite annoying.
At the moment when I do a search in Chrome, because I am based in Qatar, it defaults to the Google Qatar site even though I am an english speaker. Is it possible to edit the search engine configuration anywhere to have it default to google.co.uk or google.com?
It may be possible by modifying the something in the settings files. I was poking around in there the other day looking to see if I could change the user agent and I think I saw something about default county/search but I'm not for sure.
Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk
Any chance you can tell me where to find the setting file? Is it in the apk or somewhere else?
Bump. Anyone else help me with finding the settings file?
Found it myself!
In case any one is wondering you can, force Chrome to always use a certain Google site (rather than the one for the region you are currently residing in) by editing the /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Local State file
You need to change the "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL" to whichever one you prefer.
Obviously you're going to need root access to be able to do this.
omohat said:
In case any one is wondering you can, force Chrome to always use a certain Google site (rather than the one for the region you are currently residing in) by editing the /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Local State file
You need to change the "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL" to whichever one you prefer.
Obviously you're going to need root access to be able to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please explaind this to a noob language??
s1ck82 said:
Could you please explaind this to a noob language??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing. In Chrome, when you do a search from the address bar (on both desktop and mobile) it defaults to using the country specific google site for whichever country you're accessing the net from. In my case I live in Qatar, but as an english speaker I don't want to use google.com.qa (in arabic). You can change this behaviour by editing a file called "Local State" (on both desktop and mobile). The process for doing this on your mobile is:
1 - Root your phone
2 - Using a file explorer browse to the directory "/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/"
3 - Using a text editor, edit the file "Local State" in this directory by changing the strings "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL". In my case I edited them ass follows:
from:
{ "last known google url": "http://www.google.com.qa/"
"last prompted google url": "http://www.google.com.qa" }
to:
{ "last known google url": "http://www.google.co.uk/"
"last prompted google url": "http://www.google.co.uk" }
4 - Restart Chrome and now when you do a search from the address bar, it will use the Google site you specified.
Hope that helps.
Noob way
There is a Noob way too.
Translate your preferred language on Google Translate to the language defaulted in Chrome due to your location so you can match it later on. In my case I have translated English into Traditional Chinese which is "英文".
Start Chrome Android
Login with your Google account (should give you the option first time)
Search for "test" or something else. You get your default location language (in my case Traditional Chinese) and search results for "test".
On the page with search results for "test" scroll all the way down to the bottom. You will see your google user name in black.
Just below there are 3 links in blue. Click on the most left, this is "settings".
In settings you will see radio buttons and the foreign language text.
Scroll down until there is no more radio buttons but drop down scroll lists. These are for "language" settings.
The first drop down list is for "Language in Google Products". Scroll down till you find your translation, in my case "英文".
Do the same for the second scroll down list.
Scroll to the complete bottom and click the blue button, this is "Save". You are all set. Google should now show everything in your preferred language, without rooting your phone.
Good luck!
omohat said:
In case any one is wondering you can, force Chrome to always use a certain Google site (rather than the one for the region you are currently residing in) by editing the /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Local State file
You need to change the "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL" to whichever one you prefer.
Obviously you're going to need root access to be able to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - I tried updating /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/Preferences file - but it didn't have any affect .... I will be trying this instead
stijn1976 said:
There is a Noob way too.
Translate your preferred language on Google Translate to the language defaulted in Chrome due to your location so you can match it later on. In my case I have translated English into Traditional Chinese which is "英文".
Start Chrome Android
Login with your Google account (should give you the option first time)
Search for "test" or something else. You get your default location language (in my case Traditional Chinese) and search results for "test".
On the page with search results for "test" scroll all the way down to the bottom. You will see your google user name in black.
Just below there are 3 links in blue. Click on the most left, this is "settings".
In settings you will see radio buttons and the foreign language text.
Scroll down until there is no more radio buttons but drop down scroll lists. These are for "language" settings.
The first drop down list is for "Language in Google Products". Scroll down till you find your translation, in my case "英文".
Do the same for the second scroll down list.
Scroll to the complete bottom and click the blue button, this is "Save". You are all set. Google should now show everything in your preferred language, without rooting your phone.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.... if this quick'n'easy method doesn't work
does not change site
The non-rooted settings approach changes the display language, it does not change the site.
Great thread, I also would like to be able to do this, but still haven't found a way that works. As mentioned above, changing "settings" on the search page only changes the language of the results, not the actual search website.
I have root access and also tried editing the local state file as described above. The first time I launched Chrome after the change, it defaulted to google.com as planned, with a popup at the bottom that asked me if I wanted to continue using google.com, or use google.com.hk instead. I chose "google.com", yet when i launched the browser a second time, it defaulted to google.com.hk.
Phone out of battery now but i'll try editing the local state file with "google.com/ncr" when I get home. Any other suggestions? Forcing it to use google.com every time would be very useful!
Chrome version is 18.0.1025123, and Android version is 4.1
I have the same question. How come google locked default search engines, without any possibility to manage them?!
I've tried editing preferences file using root explorer (changing one of the strings there from google.fi to google.com, but it does not actually save it. If I open it again seconds later it still shows google.fi inside of the file. Even though root explorer is given root permissions, as notification states.
Has someone found a way to solve this?
Thanks.
Anyone have any luck with this? I'm tired of googling in Arabic...
Heinous said:
Anyone have any luck with this? I'm tired of googling in Arabic...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking in to this. Will report back if I find a fix.
search
hi. tnx for ur explain.. idid as u said. in the settings it still shows com.qa (im in doha also) but search goes in .com
omohat said:
Sure thing. In Chrome, when you do a search from the address bar (on both desktop and mobile) it defaults to using the country specific google site for whichever country you're accessing the net from. In my case I live in Qatar, but as an english speaker I don't want to use google.com.qa (in arabic). You can change this behaviour by editing a file called "Local State" (on both desktop and mobile). The process for doing this on your mobile is:
1 - Root your phone
2 - Using a file explorer browse to the directory "/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/"
3 - Using a text editor, edit the file "Local State" in this directory by changing the strings "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL". In my case I edited them ass follows:
from:
{ "last known google url": "http://www.google.com.qa/"
"last prompted google url": "http://www.google.com.qa" }
to:
{ "last known google url": "http://www.google.co.uk/"
"last prompted google url": "http://www.google.co.uk" }
4 - Restart Chrome and now when you do a search from the address bar, it will use the Google site you specified.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omohat said:
Sure thing. In Chrome, when you do a search from the address bar (on both desktop and mobile) it defaults to using the country specific google site for whichever country you're accessing the net from. In my case I live in Qatar, but as an english speaker I don't want to use (in arabic). You can change this behaviour by editing a file called "Local State" (on both desktop and mobile). The process for doing this on your mobile is:
1 - Root your phone
2 - Using a file explorer browse to the directory "/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/"
3 - Using a text editor, edit the file "Local State" in this directory by changing the strings "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL". In my case I edited them ass follows:
4 - Restart Chrome and now when you do a search from the address bar, it will use the Google site you specified.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to say my thanks.
s1ck82 said:
Could you please explaind this to a noob language??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a follow up, you will need a root-capable system explorer. I looked around for a good free one but didn't find one.
I bought root explorer, mounted as r/w (an option at the top when you first open) and just navigated to that data file and opened it. root explorer has a built in text editor (it doesn't show the cursor which is a bit strange). make the changes (I change from google.nl to google.com because I only just moved to Amsterdam and don't speak dutch yet, so all my searches are in english) then save and exit. it worked well.
omohat said:
In case any one is wondering you can, force Chrome to always use a certain Google site (rather than the one for the region you are currently residing in) by editing the /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Local State file
You need to change the "last known google URL" and "last prompted google URL" to whichever one you prefer.
Obviously you're going to need root access to be able to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude, this is working flawlessly. :good:
preferiti said:
Just wanted to say my thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!!! You are the best!
The fix was great man ! I was going crazy with this stupid setting
Sent from my now great Chrome for Android Browser
So I wanted to get feedback from everyone...since wp8's Bing search was updated they got rid of the local tab and shopping tab condensing search results into web, images, and video....i used to use the search setting on the local tab to get local phone numbers and address which I could easily click and open Nokia maps or drive...with the new update the local search results are supposed to show up in the web search tab...ie. I want to go to McDonalds I search mcdonalds and the web tab should have nearby address and phone numbers...but I am not being able to use the search function like this....my question is does anyone know how to search to get local results
Update- Thank you for community responses. I ended up changing the browser/search language to UK English bringing back the local tab. With further research I noticed that Microsoft is starting with the US for the new condensed tabs with WP8 Bing Search. In the future, MS will have all regions using the updated WP8 search having the same three tabs Web, images, and video. Personally I think this is stupid unless they can get local results to show up as they originally did. I suspect they are trying to avoid litigation from Apple since Apple sued Google for local search issues...just speculation though.
Update 2- I have turned back to the new updated tabs since MS has finally integrated Local results in the web tab. Actually it works pretty great with less steps and swipe to get you where you are going or to reach who you need to call.
I updated to amber. Still got local and shopping in bing search
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
siralex241 said:
So I wanted to get feedback from everyone...since wp8's Bing search was updated they got rid of the local tab and shopping tab condensing search results into web, images, and video....i used to use the search setting on the local tab to get local phone numbers and address which I could easily click and open Nokia maps or drive...with the new update the local search results are supposed to show up in the web search tab...ie. I want to go to McDonalds I search mcdonalds and the web tab should have nearby address and phone numbers...but I am not being able to use the search function like this....my question is does anyone know how to search to get local results
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've loaded the Amber ATT Dev ROM, and all of the new Nokia App Amber updates and I still have Web, Local, Media Shopping. I know Bing is very Region dependent, check to make sure Phone language, Country, and Regional Format are all correct. In the Amber update there is, which I'm pretty sure is a new option, labeled "Browser & Seach Langue" that you may need to update.
Etaduck said:
I've loaded the Amber ATT Dev ROM, and all of the new Nokia App Amber updates and I still have Web, Local, Media Shopping. I know Bing is very Region dependent, check to make sure Phone language, Country, and Regional Format are all correct. In the Amber update there is, which I'm pretty sure is a new option, labeled "Browser & Seach Langue" that you may need to update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeaap you're correct only "Browser & Seach Langue" matters for Bing Search
Still old search on my Lumia 920 as well.
I'm on KitKat for VZW Moto X, and there is something that I've always wanted to know on the latest Android operating systems:
When I use Google Now to conduct a search, it will show me a search results page. I can choose a link, click it, and then go to whatever website is linked to that particular result. Let's now say that I jump into my email and stay there for a while. Other than opening up my recent app tray, is there any way to return to the website I was just visiting based on my Google Now search? Intuitively, I would think I could click my default browser, but it's not there. Then I thought I could click the blue Google icon in my app tray, but it's not there either. Going back into Google Now doesn't even guarantee that I'll see the search in my history. Any ideas?
There are colleagues who have asked me how to deactivate the Google feed window that we have on the left of the home screen, for those who want to deactivate it, they must follow the following steps.
We get into the application drawer, we go to the Google application. Click on the application and a window opens, click on application information and click on disable the application.
Now we will no longer have the Google feed window on the left of the home screen.
Any downsides on this? Just noticed Google assistant doesn't work anymore
jackowy said:
Any downsides on this? Just noticed Google assistant doesn't work anymore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you say, the google assistant will not work for you.
Podcasts and Lens won't work either.
Thank you. This is the only reasonable answer, and it appears to be easy in fact. Unfortunately, the regular method is hidden/eliminated by the developers, i.e. there is no item to control it in the Home Screen settings. I have seen so many opinions, from "impossible" to sophisticated ways using Android Debug Bridge.
Good tip, works like a charm. I'm not a fan of Assistant or most other bloatware either, so good riddance. I just wish these products gave more control to the user, or even retained the same options to enable/disable things as the older versions.