Google Chrome Browser for Desktop Gains New Performance Controls

[WarmWinterHat]

Which iOS browser besides Safari supports adblocks? I know Brave does but what else?

Edge for iOS has a built-in adblocker.

 

[russell_314]

I've noticed issues with a couple of banking sites, though I'll avoid mentioning the specific banks here.

Without mentioning names, are they major banks or maybe some smaller banks that might not have an updated site?

The most frustrating part is that sometimes I’ll log in, navigate through the site, spend time there doing my research, and just as I’m about to complete a task, Safari won't continue or will freeze or will give an error message. This forces me to restart the entire process in another browser.

That would definitely be annoying!

Example 1: I once tried redeeming my miles on an airline’s site (aegean airlines); after logging in, searching for flights, and selecting one, Safari wouldn't go through. I would keep loading the page forever. There was no error message suggesting I switch browsers, so I assumed the problem was with the airline's site. After calling customer support, they advised me to use a different browser.

To be fair, that’s going to be the default answer from any tech support. If you would’ve told him you were on chrome they would’ve told you the same thing.

Example 2: Another example that just came to mind, which I didn’t mention earlier but it just occurred to me. I frequently encounter an issue when visiting my child’s school website to check the daily menu and see how he ate. The page simply won’t load, and I’m not sure why. Interestingly, when I use Brave, it works perfectly.

Do you have any extensions or ad blockers in Safari? Sometimes these can cause you problems.

Why would I trust Safari when with browsers like Brave, Firefox, or Chrome, I’ve never had these issues.

Well, because of many reasons. If you’re on a MacBook running off battery Safari will get you the most battery life.

I avoid Google Chrome and any of its versions just because I don’t want Google to be the monopoly browser. Once that happens, they are going to make some big changes. They already are making changes that makes it more difficult to block ads.

This is also why I use Firefox because it’s a great alternative.

Of course it comes down to you have to use what works for you. If it doesn’t work, then you can’t use it. I might make Safari or Firefox work, but if it’s not working for you, then there’s no point in getting frustrated using it.

 

[Radeon85]

Don’t forget they also deprecated uBlock Origin with their last update. They are going to force those ads down your throat whether you like them or not. I migrated everything to Firefox and couldn’t be happier with a browser that is also aligned with my values.

There is uBlock lite, which I tried on Chrome as an alternative to Origin for a while to test it out, and it blocked pretty much every ad that Origin did and it works just fine with manifest v3. Even with Chrome, I've not seen ads in many years.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

Orion for the win! It's the best of Safari and Chrome.

 

[dialogos]

Without mentioning names, are they major banks or maybe some smaller banks that might not have an updated site?

They are small ones, but they are still banks.

That would definitely be annoying!

…and I’m not exactly the most patient person 🤣

To be fair, that’s going to be the default answer from any tech support. If you would’ve told him you were on chrome they would’ve told you the same thing.

You’re absolutely right; that’s often the standard response from technical support. However, in this case, you can try it yourself on the airline’s website. There are times, especially when logged in, that the site just loads endlessly. I fly with this airline at least once a month and have encountered this issue multiple times.

Do you have any extensions or ad blockers in Safari? Sometimes these can cause you problems.

I have only Wipr on Safari and just uBlock Origin on Brave and Firefox.

Well, because of many reasons. If you’re on a MacBook running off battery Safari will get you the most battery life.

This is the main reason I still use Safari—and I enjoy its user interface. However, if I’m using a new website, like buying a ticket from an unfamiliar airline or purchasing from a small vendor, I now go directly to Brave. I just don’t trust Safari in these situations.

I avoid Google Chrome and any of its versions just because I don’t want Google to be the monopoly browser. Once that happens, they are going to make some big changes. They already are making changes that makes it more difficult to block ads.

This is also why I use Firefox because it’s a great alternative.

Of course it comes down to you have to use what works for you. If it doesn’t work, then you can’t use it. I might make Safari or Firefox work, but if it’s not working for you, then there’s no point in getting frustrated using it.

I’ve learned from other users on this forum to avoid Google, so that’s what I do. Ideally, my browser preferences would be Safari, Firefox, and Brave, in that order. However, in practice, I actually use them as Brave, Firefox, and then Safari. I try to stay open to suggestions, but Safari has given me so many issues.

And out of curiosity just to put it to the test after our conversation here, I decided to try purchasing something from one of Spain’s supermarkets using Safari. Here’s what happened (see the photo) . I erased some parts because I have no clue if those numbers are private or not 😅 Strange thing is that by hitting the refresh button various times the site will eventually load.

 

[SeanSpreadsRumors]

I feel pretty confident in telling you to rest assured. It will.

Oh thank god!! That's fantastic news!!

 

[SeanSpreadsRumors]

If I need a Chromium browser I use Edge.

Even if the browser isn't google branded, but runs on Chromium Google still gets your data, They have all sorts of back doors.

 

[dialogos]

Even if the browser isn't google branded, but runs on Chromium Google still gets your data, They have all sorts of back doors.

Just a genuine question—are you certain about that, or is it an assumption? I keep coming across information suggesting that if someone prefers Chromium and wants to avoid Google’s tracking, they can use alternatives like Brave. And i do use brave 😅

 

[SeanSpreadsRumors]

Just a genuine question—are you certain about that, or is it an assumption? I keep coming across information suggesting that if someone prefers Chromium and wants to avoid Google’s tracking, they can use alternatives like Brave. And i do use brave 😅

I am certain enough to not use Chromium, I know enough to know what something like Chromium is capable of. I was going to mention Brave, I think of all the chromium browsers I would trust them the most as far as doors they have closed.

The thing is Google has built their business on selling data, that's where the majority of their revenue comes from, taking that into account it feels risky assuming Google doesn't have a back door that even Brave can't close/or even find.

That said do you see any reason Google would have a "service" like Chromium WITHOUT any way to get in? For me there is no scenario where Google takes the high road with user data.

 

[dialogos]

That said do you seen any reason Google would have a "service" like Chromium WITHOUT any way to get in? For me there is no scenario where Google takes the high road with user data.

Very nice question! Definitely food for thought. 😃
Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply.

 

[russell_314]

They are small ones, but they are still banks.


…and I’m not exactly the most patient person 🤣


You’re absolutely right; that’s often the standard response from technical support. However, in this case, you can try it yourself on the airline’s website. There are times, especially when logged in, that the site just loads endlessly. I fly with this airline at least once a month and have encountered this issue multiple times.



I have only Wipr on Safari and just uBlock Origin on Brave and Firefox.



This is the main reason I still use Safari—and I enjoy its user interface. However, if I’m using a new website, like buying a ticket from an unfamiliar airline or purchasing from a small vendor, I now go directly to Brave. I just don’t trust Safari in these situations.



I’ve learned from other users on this forum to avoid Google, so that’s what I do. Ideally, my browser preferences would be Safari, Firefox, and Brave, in that order. However, in practice, I actually use them as Brave, Firefox, and then Safari. I try to stay open to suggestions, but Safari has given me so many issues.

And out of curiosity just to put it to the test after our conversation here, I decided to try purchasing something from one of Spain’s supermarkets using Safari. Here’s what happened (see the photo) . I erased some parts because I have no clue if those numbers are private or not 😅 Strange thing is that by hitting the refresh button various times the site will eventually load.

That photo was interesting. Do you have private relay on? There’s another setting but I can’t remember. Those two settings caused me problems with banking sites not loading correctly in the past.

 

[webkit]

That said do you seen any reason Google would have a "service" like Chromium WITHOUT any way to get in? For me there is no scenario where Google takes the high road with user data.

It doesn't have to be about user data. Google also provides it as a way to try to create the de facto web browser standard thereby potentially giving them more influence over web standards and the browser market, encourage more development of web extensions for Chromium and therefore their Chrome browser, etc. Making it open source can also lower some development/maintenance costs for Google.

Apple's WebKit and Mozilla's Gecko are also "free"/open source and used by various browser companies.

 

[dialogos]

That photo was interesting. Do you have private relay on? There’s another setting but I can’t remember. Those two settings caused me problems with banking sites not loading correctly in the past.

Yes I have private relay turned on.
Do you think I should I turn it off? 😱

 

[dialogos]

That photo was interesting. Do you have private relay on? There’s another setting but I can’t remember. Those two settings caused me problems with banking sites not loading correctly in the past.

Yes I have private relay turned on.
Do you think should I turn it off? 😱

 

[russell_314]

Yes I have private relay turned on.
Do you think should I turn it off? 😱

I turned it off a while back because it was preventing me from logging into one of my banking website.

Perhaps if you have a banking website that gives you trouble then it wouldn’t hurt to try. I understand it prevents some type of tracking, but there’s so many ways they can track you nowadays. This is why I only use Safari for financial sites and another web browser for everything else because I feel it provides some sort of insulation for my important stuff. Maybe my feeling is wrong, but it can’t hurt.

 

[DutchApplePie]

Yes I have private relay turned on.
Do you think should I turn it off? 😱

I turned it off a while back because it was preventing me from logging into one of my banking website.

Perhaps if you have a banking website that gives you trouble then it wouldn’t hurt to try. I understand it prevents some type of tracking, but there’s so many ways they can track you nowadays. This is why I only use Safari for financial sites and another web browser for everything else because I feel it provides some sort of insulation for my important stuff. Maybe my feeling is wrong, but it can’t hurt.

There's sites I use where Private Relay won't let it work the way it should. Rather than turning it completely off, what I do to keep it on overall is to visit the website, right click on the reload button, and click on the option to "reload and show IP" (or some wording like that). That will reload just that website without Private Relay, but only for that session. Once you close the tab, if you visit the website again, you'll need to do that again (which I personally don't mind).

 

[SeanSpreadsRumors]

It doesn't have to be about user data. Google also provides it as a way to try to create the de facto web browser standard thereby potentially giving them more influence over web standards and the browser market, encourage more development of web extensions for Chromium and therefore their Chrome browser, etc. Making it open source can also lower some development/maintenance costs for Google.

Apple's WebKit and Mozilla's Gecko are also "free"/open source and used by various browser companies.

Google providing a service for devs to use doesn't make them a white knight. They provide Chromium to get more sources to scrape data. I am certain of it.

You have to think about it in terms of what makes the most sense, Google from day 1 of their existence has relied on serving advertisements to their users, An advertiser will pay way more money if their AD is being served to their target audience alas Google scraping data to get more targeted ADs to users. Basically there is no realistic world where Google isn't scraping user data from chromium browsers, it's their biggest source of revenue.

I know very little about Mozilla as a company so I can't speak to their Gecko service, and Apple doesn't sell advertisements so they have no interest in scraping user data to sell to advertisers.

 

[dialogos]

I turned it off a while back because it was preventing me from logging into one of my banking website.

Perhaps if you have a banking website that gives you trouble then it wouldn’t hurt to try. I understand it prevents some type of tracking, but there’s so many ways they can track you nowadays. This is why I only use Safari for financial sites and another web browser for everything else because I feel it provides some sort of insulation for my important stuff. Maybe my feeling is wrong, but it can’t hurt.

To be honest, I’d prefer to keep it on, but out of curiosity, I’ll disable it temporarily to test the sites causing issues. I’ll keep you updated.

 

[russell_314]

To be honest, I’d prefer to keep it on, but out of curiosity, I’ll disable it temporarily to test the sites causing issues. I’ll keep you updated.

Maybe try this suggestion from Dutch Apple

There's sites I use where Private Relay won't let it work the way it should. Rather than turning it completely off, what I do to keep it on overall is to visit the website, right click on the reload button, and click on the option to "reload and show IP" (or some wording like that). That will reload just that website without Private Relay, but only for that session. Once you close the tab, if you visit the website again, you'll need to do that again (which I personally don't mind).

 

[dialogos]

There's sites I use where Private Relay won't let it work the way it should. Rather than turning it completely off, what I do to keep it on overall is to visit the website, right click on the reload button, and click on the option to "reload and show IP" (or some wording like that). That will reload just that website without Private Relay, but only for that session. Once you close the tab, if you visit the website again, you'll need to do that again (which I personally don't mind).

Thank you so much! I wasn’t aware of this. Since there are a few sites I know don’t work properly on Safari, I’ll give it a try tomorrow!!!

 

[webkit]

Google providing a service for devs to use doesn't make them a white knight. They provide Chromium to get more sources to scrape data. I am certain of it.

You have to think about it in terms of what makes the most sense, Google from day 1 of their existence has relied on serving advertisements to their users, An advertiser will pay way more money if their AD is being served to their target audience alas Google scraping data to get more targeted ADs to users. Basically there is no realistic world where Google isn't scraping user data from chromium browsers, it's their biggest source of revenue.

I know very little about Mozilla as a company so I can't speak to their Gecko service, and Apple doesn't sell advertisements so they have no interest in scraping user data to sell to advertisers.

I was responding to a comment about why Google would provide Chromium as "free"/open source and there are several reasons besides data collection. Just as there are reason for companies like Mozilla and Apple to do the same.

Since you are "certain of it", can you provide information on all of the data Google scrapes from non-Chrome Chromium-based browsers? Also, what data Google isn't able to collection from those non-Chrome Chromium browsers.

 

[SeanSpreadsRumors]

I was responding to a comment about why Google would provide Chromium as "free"/open source and there are several reasons besides data collection. Just as there are reason for companies like Mozilla and Apple to do the same.

Since you are "certain of it", can you provide information on all of the data Google scrapes from non-Chrome Chromium-based browsers? Also, what data Google isn't able to collection from those non-Chrome Chromium browsers.

I am not interested in doing your research for you. I am basing my certainties on How Google makes most of their money, which we all know is selling ads, as well as my knowledge of how something like chromium works and what capabilities are possible.

But hey man if you want to live your life thinking Google is out here just being a good guy providing a service out of their kindness and not for data scraping then I'm just not sure there's anywhere for this conversation to go.

 

[webkit]

I am not interested in doing your research for you. I am basing my certainties on How Google makes most of their money, which we all know is selling ads, as well as my knowledge of how something like chromium works and what capabilities are possible.

I only asked because you said you were "certain" so I assumed you already had data/information available and it was not something you had to take extra time to research.

I understand how Google makes money but that doesn't mean everything they do is directly tied to data collection. As I mentioned, there are several potential reasons (good or bad) besides direct data collection that Google would've made Chromium/Blink "free"/open source just as there are several potential reasons why Mozilla (with Gecko) and Apple (with WebKit) have done as well.

But hey man if you want to live your life thinking Google is out here just being a good guy providing a service out of their kindness and not for data scraping then I'm just not sure there's anywhere for this conversation to go.

Nothing I am saying here is meant to suggest that Google is just being the “good guy.” Not sure why you are concluding that.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

They are small ones, but they are still banks.


…and I’m not exactly the most patient person 🤣


You’re absolutely right; that’s often the standard response from technical support. However, in this case, you can try it yourself on the airline’s website. There are times, especially when logged in, that the site just loads endlessly. I fly with this airline at least once a month and have encountered this issue multiple times.



I have only Wipr on Safari and just uBlock Origin on Brave and Firefox.



This is the main reason I still use Safari—and I enjoy its user interface. However, if I’m using a new website, like buying a ticket from an unfamiliar airline or purchasing from a small vendor, I now go directly to Brave. I just don’t trust Safari in these situations.



I’ve learned from other users on this forum to avoid Google, so that’s what I do. Ideally, my browser preferences would be Safari, Firefox, and Brave, in that order. However, in practice, I actually use them as Brave, Firefox, and then Safari. I try to stay open to suggestions, but Safari has given me so many issues.

And out of curiosity just to put it to the test after our conversation here, I decided to try purchasing something from one of Spain’s supermarkets using Safari. Here’s what happened (see the photo) . I erased some parts because I have no clue if those numbers are private or not 😅 Strange thing is that by hitting the refresh button various times the site will eventually load.

I experience similar issues.

Give Orion a shot--Webkit browser, looks exactly like Safari and uses the same extensions you can get on Chrome, Firefox, etc.