Chrome for Android can now stop you getting Rickrolled

Google Chrome
(Image credit: BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock)

Google has started to roll out a great new feature for users of the Android version of Chrome. The latest addition to the browser makes it possible to preview links before you visit a site.

There are many benefits to the ability to take a peek at a site before you decide whether to visit it or not. In addition to being a wonderful way to bolster security, the feature also helps you to avoid wasting time as it lets you quickly check that a site is what a link claims it to be – no more getting Rickrolled.

At the moment, you're probably used to opening links in a new tab so you don't navigate away from the original article you were reading. Chrome for Android's new Preview Page option offers another solution to this problem in addition to helping you to avoid malicious sites or any others you just don’t want to visit.

If you tap and hold a link on a site, you should see a new Preview Page option in the menu. Tap this and you'll see a preview of the linked page in a floating tab. You can use this to see if the page is something you would like to read further, in which case you can tap to open the link properly, or if it is something you'd rather ignore, in which case you can simply close it with a tap or a swipe.

Sneaky peek

In order to enjoy the benefits from page previews in Chrome, you need to be running at least version 89 of the mobile browser. But this alone is not enough. The new page preview functionality is being added as a server-side change so not everyone has access to it immediately.

As is often the case with server-side changes, this is a staged rollout out and there is nothing you can do to speed up the arrival of this handy new feature in your browser; there are no settings to change or hidden flags to enable that will unlock it. If you don't see the Preview Page option in the menu when you long-press a link, it just means you'll have to wait a little longer.

Via AndroidCentral

TOPICS
Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her on Twitter and Mastodon.

Read more
Chrome browser icons
Despise internet pop-ups? Google Chrome is testing an AI-powered feature to help end these
A finger touching the google chrome icon in the Windows 10 start menu
A new Chrome browser highjacking attack could affect billions of users - here's how to fight it
Google Chrome browser icon
A new split-screen feature is coming to Google Chrome, and it's surprisingly powerful
opera air interface
I’ve tried the new Opera Air browser – here are 3 features that have already convinced me to ditch Chrome
Google Chrome with Christmas theme in Windows 11
I've used Edge, Firefox, and Opera, and yet after ten years in tech journalism, I still come back to Chrome
Three iPhones side-by-side with the Google Lens search feature being shown on each.
Google Lens just got a time-saving upgrade on your iPhone – here’s how it works
Latest in Android
The bottom left corner of an Android phone, showing the Phone, Messages, Google icons and Google Search bar
Google Messages remote delete will soon save you from texting embarrassment – and here's how it works
A phone displaying the Google Messages logo
Google Messages could finally be getting this WhatsApp-style group chat feature
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 Beta 3 has arrived – here are the 4 features I think will be the most useful
Google Pixel 9
Android 16 could bring an improved Samsung DeX-style desktop mode to more phones
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 beta users are reporting major battery drain issues – but I’m not too worried about it
The Oppo Find N5 open to Google Maps
Android 16 brings a much-needed upgrade to Google Maps that iOS users already have
Latest in News
Open AI
OpenAI live stream - could we see a major ChatGPT upgrade?
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 launches in early April, adding new monsters and some of the best-looking armor sets I need to add to my collection