If you notice that your Google Chrome smartphone has begun to work worse - it opens tabs more slowly, reloads pages more often, or suddenly closes - you are not alone. In 2026, the browser from Android- your smartphone begins to work worse - it opens tabs more slowly, reloads pages more often or closes suddenly - you are not alone. In 2026, the browser from Google continues to remain the most popular on mobile devices, but its performance and stability raise more and more questions. Users complain about freezes when scrolling, unreasonably high battery consumption and even blocking of legal sites without explanation.

The reasons for such problems lie both in updates itself Chrome, and in policy changes Android 14/15, restrictions Google Play Services, as well as in the aggressive integration of artificial intelligence. For example, a function AI Tab Groupsthat automatically sorts tabs can increase RAM consumption by 30-40% even in the background. At the same time, many bugs are associated with conflicts between Chrome and the manufacturers' shells (MIUI, One UI, ColorOS), which impose their own restrictions on the operation of the web engine. Blink.

In this article we will look at:

  • 🔍 The main reasons for the brakes and errors Chrome on modern versions Android.
  • ⚡ Hidden settingswhich Google does not advertise, but they really speed up the work.
  • 🛡️ How to bypass site blocking and why the browser sometimes gives out ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE.
  • 📉 Alternative browsersthat can replace Chrome without loss of functionality.
📊 How often do you encounter problems in Chrome on Android?
Constantly, every day
Sometimes, once a week
Thinner, but it's annoying
Never, everything works perfectly

1. Why did Chrome on Android start to slow down in 2026?

The main problem Chrome on modern smartphones is architectural changeswhich Google implements from versions 120+. The browser now actively uses:

  • 🤖 AI algorithms to preload content (function Predictive Loading).
  • 📊 Dynamic code compilation via V8 TurboFanwhich increases the load on the processor.
  • 🔄 Background synchronization with an account Google (including history, passwords, tabs).

On weak and medium-sized smartphones (for example, Redmi Note 11 or Samsung Galaxy A52) this leads to slower animationsfreezes when scrolling pages with heavy content (for example, TikTok or Instagram in the web version) and even to browser crashes when opening 10+ tabs. The drop in performance is especially noticeable on devices with 4 GB of RAM or less.

⚠️ Attention: If you have a smartphone with Android 12 or older, check the settings Permissions → Special access → Battery optimization. In the latest versions Chrome can exclude itself from optimization, which leads to increasing charge consumption by 15-20%.

Another reason for the brakes is conflict with manufacturers' shells is enabled. For example, it aggressively closes background processes and tries to restore them, which creates a restart loop. The same thing happens on MIUI 15 from Xiaomi aggressively closes background processes, and Chrome tries to restore them, which creates a restart loop. The same thing happens on One UI 6.x from Samsungif the function Adaptive battery.

How to check whether Chrome or the system is at fault?

Open Settings → Applications → Chrome → Memory. If the "RAM Usage" section shows a value of >500 MB when the browser is closed, the problem is in the background activity of Chrome. If less, the system is to blame because it does not provide the browser with enough resources.

2. Hidden Chrome settings that speed up work

Many users do not know that Chrome there are Experimental functionsthat can be enabled via chrome://flags. Some of them actually improve performance:

Flag (name) Effect Recommendation
#enable-zero-copy Speeds up video rendering and animation Enable (if there are lags when viewing YouTube)
#disable-accelerated-2d-canvas Disables hardware acceleration for 2D graphics Enable if sites are displayed crookedly
#enable-lite-video Reduces video quality to save traffic Enable if the Internet is slow
#enable-tab-discarding Automatic "freezes" inactive tabs Enable if RAM is constantly full

To open these settings:

  1. Enter in the address bar chrome://flags.
  2. In the search, enter the name of the flag (for example, zero-copy).
  3. Select Enabled or Disabled in the drop-down menu.
  4. Restart the browser.
⚠️ Attention: Not all flags are stable! For example, #enable-gpu-rasterization may lead to artifacts when scrolling on some devices. If after the changes Chrome it begins to work worse, reset the settings via chrome://flags/#reset-all.

In addition to flags, you should disable unnecessary functions in the main ones settings:

  • 🔗 Page preloading (Settings → Privacy → Page preloading) - disable if you have limited traffic.
  • 🤖 AI Tab Groups (Settings → Tabs → Grouping of tabs) - disable if you do not use it.
  • 📡 Saving traffic (Settings → Lite mode) - enable if the Internet is slow, but remember that this degrades the quality of pictures.

☑️ Optimize Chrome in 5 minutes

Done: 0 / 5

3. Chrome is eating up your battery: how to reduce consumption?

If after the update Chrome your smartphone begins to discharge 10-15% faster, three main functions are to blame:

  1. Background synchronization (updating tabs, history, bookmarks).
  2. WebRTC (used for video calls in the browser).
  3. Geolocation API (location determination via websites).

To reduce battery consumption:

  1. Open Settings → Applications → Chrome → Permissions and disable Geodata.
  2. Find sites that are allowed access to the camera/microphone and block them. chrome://settings/content/siteDetails Find sites that allow access to your camera/microphone and block them.
  3. Enable chrome://flags/#battery-saver-mode-available (battery saving mode).

Also check if your Android function Adaptive brightness for Chromeis enabled. On some firmware (for example ColorOS 14), the browser itself can increase the screen brightness when watching a video, which eats up additional charge.

💡

If you often use Chrome to watch videos (for example, YouTube in the browser), install the extension Dark Reader from Chrome Web Store. The dark theme reduces the load on AMOLED screens and saves up to 5% of charge per hour.

4. Why does Chrome block sites and how to get around it?

In 2026 Google tightened the security policy in Chrome, and now the browser can block access to sites for the following reasons:

  • 🔒 Invalid SSL certificate (error NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID).
  • 🚫 Site on Google Safe Browsing blacklist (error ERR_BLOCKED_BY_RESPONSE).
  • 🌍 Geo-blocking (for example, if the site is not available in your country).
  • 🛡️ Blocking at the DNS level (for example, through Google Family Link or corporate policies).

To bypass the blocking:

  1. For SSL errors: try manually specifying the date on the device (sometimes shifting it 1-2 days back helps).
  2. For Safe Browsing: disable protection in Settings → Privacy → Security → Safe browsing.
  3. For geoblocking: use a VPN (for example ProtonVPN or Warp from Cloudflare).
  4. For DNS blocking: change DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 in the Wi-Fi settings.

If the site is blocked with an error ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED, but the Internet is working, check:

  • 📶 Not Is the mode enabled Save traffic in the mobile network settings.
  • 🔄 Is the checkbox Compress data in chrome://settings/liteMode.
  • 🛡️ Is an antivirus blocking access (for example, Avast or Kaspersky).
💡

If the site is blocked only in Chrome, but opens in other browsers (for example, Firefox), the problem is definitely in the Chrome settings or a conflict with Google Safe Browsing.

5. Alternatives Chrome: which browsers are better for Android?

If optimization did not help, it is worth considering alternatives. Here is a comparison of popular browsers for Android in 2026:

Browser Pros Cons Better than Chrome in...
Firefox Open source, support for extensions Slower renders complex pages Privacy
Brave Built-in ad blocker, torrent client Sometimes conflicts with sites (due to aggressive blocking of trackers) Security
Samsung Internet Optimized for Samsung, support extensions Only for devices Samsung Integration with the system
Kiwi Browser Support for extensions from the Chrome Web Store Rarely updated, bugs are possible Flexibility

If speedis important to you, try Bromite it is a modified Chrome without unnecessary functions Google and with improved performance. It can be downloaded from the official website (bromite.org), but keep in mind that updates come manually.

For users who need maximum privacy, Tor Browser or DuckDuckGo Browser. Both block trackers by default and do not sync data to the cloud.

⚠️ Attention: If you use browsers based on Chromium (for example, Brave or Kiwi), some sites (for example, banking) may require exactly Google Chrome for correct operation. In this case, you will have to keep both browsers running.

6. How to transfer data from Chrome to another browser?

If you decide to change your browser, transferring data (bookmarks, passwords, history) is not difficult. Most alternatives support import from Chrome:

For Firefox:

  1. Open Firefox and go to Settings → Import data.
  2. Select Chrome from list.
  3. Tick the required data (bookmarks, history, passwords).
  4. Click Import.

For Brave:

  1. Run Brave and go to Settings → Import bookmarks and settings.
  2. Select Chrome.
  3. Confirm import.

For Samsung Internet:

  1. Open the browser and go to Settings → Data and synchronization → Import from others browsers.
  2. Select Chrome.
  3. Wait for the process to complete.

If you want save passwords, it is better to use Google Password Manager or third-party services like Bitwarden. To do this:

  1. Export passwords from Chrome via chrome://password-manager/settings (click on the three dots → Export passwords).
  2. Import the file .csv to a new password manager.
How to export bookmarks from Chrome manually?

Open chrome://bookmarks, click on the three dots → Export bookmarksGet. file bookmarks.htmlthat can be imported into any browser.

7. The future of Chrome on Android: what to expect?

In 2026 Google is actively testing several innovations for Chrome on Androidthat can either improve or worsen the user experience:

  • 🤖 AI assistant for web search (integration with Gemini Nano to generate responses directly in the browser).
  • 🔄 Automatic archiving of tabs (inactive tabs will be saved to the cloud and deleted from the device).
  • 🛡️ Enhanced protection against phishing (blocking suspicious sites at the DNS level).
  • 📱 Deeper integration with Android (for example, opening links from Chrome in applications without confirmation).

On the one hand, these changes should make browser smarter and safer. On the other hand, they can do even more load the system, especially on budget smartphones. Already now, in test builds Chrome 130+ an increase in RAM consumption by 20-25% has been noticed due to the background operation of AI modules.

Also Google plans completely abandon support for older devices to Android 10 and below. This means that owners of smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S9 or Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 will have to either update the firmware (if possible) or switch to alternative browsers.

⚠️ Attention: If you use Chrome on device with Android 11 or older, stay tuned. In 2026 Google may introduce mandatory account linking for data synchronization, which will complicate the use of the browser without an account.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about Chrome on Android

Why Chrome closes itself tabs on Android?

This happens due to a function Tab Discardingthat frees up RAM by closing inactive tabs. To disable:

  1. Go to chrome://flags/#enable-tab-discarding.
  2. Select Disabled.
  3. Restart the browser.

Also check the battery optimization settings in Android —the system may force close background processes.

How to remove ads in Chrome on Android?

Chrome does not have a built-in ad blocker, but you can:

  • Install the extension uBlock Origin (works only in Kiwi Browser or Yandex Browser).
  • Use Brave —it blocks ads by default.
  • Customize DNS filtering via 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or dns.adguard.com.

Please note: some sites may not work with ad blockers.

What to do if Chrome does not open sites, but other browsers do?

The problem may be in:

  • DNS cache - clear it via chrome://net-internals/#dns (click Clear host cache).
  • Proxy settings - check Settings → System → Advanced → Proxy.
  • Conflict with VPN - disable VPN and try again.

If all else fails, reset settings Chrome via Settings → Reset settings.

Is it possible to roll back Chrome to the old one version?

Technically yes, but:

  • You will not be able to update your browser via Google Play.
  • Some sites may not work due to an outdated engine.
  • There will be security problems (there are no latest vulnerability fixes).

To roll back:

  1. Download .apk the desired version from a reliable source (for example, APKMirror).
  2. Uninstall the current one Chrome.
  3. Install the old version (allow installation from unknown sources).
Why does Chrome ask to update, but there are no updates in the Play Market?

This can happen for several reasons:

  • Your device does not support the latest version Chrome (for example, if you have Android 9 or lower).
  • Google Play does not update the application due to regional restrictions.
  • Cache Play Market is clogged - clean it in Settings → Applications → Play Market → Storage.

Try updating Chrome via APKfile from the official site Google.