Smartphone owners Honor are often faced with the desire to replace the standard Internet navigation tool with a more functional analogue. The standard browser may seem limited, while Yandex Browser offers a built-in voice assistant, Turbo mode and advanced data protection. However, after installing a new application, the system does not automatically switch to it, requiring manual user intervention in the system settings.
The process of changing the default browser on the shell MagicOS or the old one EMUI is intuitive, but menu items may be named differently depending on the version Android. We will analyze all the nuances of this procedure, including cases when the required item is hidden or inactive. You will learn how to assign the application status to the main tool for opening links from instant messengers and social networks.
Do not worry if the interface of your device is slightly different from that described below. The logic of the operating system Android remains the same for all manufacturers, including Huawei i Honor. The main thing is to find the application management section, where access keys to system functions are stored.
Preparing the device for changing browsers
Before delving into the system settings, you need to make sure that the application itself is installed correctly and is ready for use. Simply downloading the installation file APK is not enough; The app must undergo initial initialization. Open a new browser, accept the user agreement and customize the start page for yourself.
Make sure that you have an active network connection, because when you first launch Yandex Browser it may download updated databases of safe sites and synchronize data with your account. Without this stage, the system may consider the application not fully configured and not offer it as a candidate for the role of the main one.
☑️ Ready for configuration
⚠️ Attention: If you download the browser from a third-party source and not from the official store AppGallery or Google Play, the system may request permission to install from unknown sources. This is a standard security measure Android.
Search for the “Default Applications” section in the settings
The key setup step is to find the desired menu deep in the system settings. The path to it may vary, but most often it is located in the app management section. Go to the main Settings of your smartphone Honor through the gear icon.
In the list that opens, find the item responsible for managing the installed software. In modern firmware versions it is often called simply “Applications”. Inside this section you need to look for the subsection associated with the default settings. Sometimes it is hidden under three dots in the upper corner of the screen or is located at the very bottom of the list.
On some models Honor with a shell Magic UI the path looks like this: Settings → Applications → Default applications. In older versions EMUI this item may be located directly in the main settings menu or inside the “Application Manager” section. Use the settings search by entering the word “browser” or “default” to reduce your search time.
Use the search bar at the very top of the Settings menu. Enter the request “Default Applications”, and the system will immediately redirect you to the desired section, bypassing long menu lists.
Installing Yandex Browser as the main viewer
Once you are in the desired settings section, you will see a list of categories of applications that can run in the background or run automatically. Find the line called "Browser" or "Web Browser". Opposite it is usually indicated the current application, which opens when you click on the links.
Click on this item. The system will display a list of all browsers that are currently installed on your device and are capable of processing web requests. This list should display Yandex Browser. Select it by clicking on the name or icon.
Once the choice is made, the system will remember this preference. Now, when you click on any hyperlink in mail, messenger or notes, the browser of your choice will automatically launch. There is usually no need to restart the phone for the changes to take effect; the settings are applied instantly.
What to do if the selection item is inactive or hidden
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where a new option does not appear in the list of available browsers, or the selection field is blocked. This can happen for several reasons related to access rights or caching of system services. First of all, check if the application is disabled in the settings.
Go to the section Settings → Applications → Applications and find it in the list Yandex Browser. Make sure it is not in the Disabled state. If such a button is active and shows the status “Enabled,” click on it. Also check the access rights: the browser must have permission to work on the network.
If the application is active, but the system does not see it as a browser, try clearing the cache of the “Settings” system service. Go to Settings → Applications → Show system processes, find the "Settings" application (gear icon) and select Memory → Clear cache. This action is safe and will not delete your personal data.
⚠️ Attention: Do not click the "Reset" or "Clear data" button for system applications if you are not sure about their actions. This may reset all phone settings to factory settings. Limit yourself to clearing the cache.
Resetting application settings to force a choice
In cases where the standard procedure does not work or you want to reset the previous selection so that the system will ask you about your preferences again, a more radical method will be required. It consists of resetting the settings of all applications to default. This will return the system state to the time of the first purchase.
To do this, return to the menu Default applications. In the upper right corner of the screen there is often a menu with three vertical dots. Click on it and select "Reset application settings" or similar. Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
After completing this operation, the next time you click on a link in any application (for example, in Telegram or VKontakte), the system will display a pop-up window with the question: “How to open the link?” In this window, select Yandex Browser and be sure to click the "Always" button to fix the choice.
| Action | Where to find | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Direct installation | Settings → Default applications | Instant browser change |
| Reset settings | Menu (three dots) → Reset | Repeated request when opening a link |
| Clearing the cache | Applications → Settings → Memory | Updating the list of available apps |
Why can the system ignore the selection?
Sometimes antivirus software or third-party task managers block changing system settings. If all else fails, try temporarily disabling the third-party antivirus and repeating the procedure for installing the default browser.
Features of working on different versions of Android and MagicOS
The interface of smartphones Honor has undergone significant changes in recent years. On devices with Android 10 and shell Magic UI 3 the menu logic was more linear. In new models with Android 12-14 and MagicOS 7-8 the structure has become more nested to save space on the screen.
Owners of older devices should pay attention to the “Application Manager” section, which in new firmware has been renamed or merged with the general list of apps. Also in new versions Android requirements for background activity have been tightened, so make sure that Yandex Browser work in the background is allowed.
If you have a smartphone series Honor Magic or Honor Number (for example, Honor 90, Honor 200), the interface may have additional visual effects, but the essence of the settings remains the same. The main thing is not to confuse the settings of the browser itself (within the application) with the settings of the smartphone system.
The operating system version only affects the location of menu items, but not the mechanism for assigning default applications. The operating logic of Android is the same for all versions.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Even if you follow all the instructions, technical failures may occur. For example, after choosing a browser, the links still open in the old application. This often indicates that an older app is intercepting links through its internal settings or is taking precedence due to deep integration into the system.
Try removing the default browser updates if possible, or disabling it completely in the application settings. As a last resort, if the standard browser does not turn off, only a complete reset of the phone will help, but this method should be used only in exceptional cases.
Also, the problem may be related to the specific application from which you open the link. Some instant messengers have built-in browsers and open links within themselves, ignoring system settings. In this case, you need to look for the “Open links in an external browser” setting already inside the messenger itself.
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces and names of menu items may differ slightly depending on the specific phone model and firmware region. If you do not find an exact match, focus on the semantic meaning of the points.
Built-in browsers in social networks
Applications like Instagram or Facebook often use their own engines to display pages. To open the link in Yandex, click on the three dots in the corner of the built-in page and select “Open in browser.”
Advantages of using Yandex Browser on Honor
Switching to Yandex Browser gives smartphone users Honor a number of advantages not available in standard solutions. First of all, it's technology Turbo, which compresses traffic and speeds up page loading in case of a poor connection, which is important for mobile networks.
Built-in protection Protect automatically checks downloaded files and warns about visiting suspicious sites. For the ecosystem, Honor this is an important plus, since the browser is well optimized for working with branded services and cloud storage.
In addition, synchronization with the desktop version allows you to instantly transfer tabs and passwords between your phone and computer. The voice assistant Alice, built right into the search bar, allows you to control the browser and search for information without entering text, which is convenient on the go.
Setting the default browser is a simple step that significantly increases the comfort of using your smartphone. By spending a couple of minutes changing system settings, you save yourself from unnecessary clicks and get access to a modern and safe Internet surfing every day.
Why, after setting up the links, still open in another browser?
Most likely, you clicked “Only once” instead of “Always” when selecting an application. Or a specific application (for example, an email client) has its own individual settings for opening links, which take precedence over system ones.
Is it possible to remove the standard Honor browser after installing Yandex?
It is usually impossible to completely remove the system browser without root access, since it is part of the firmware. However, it can be disabled in the application settings, after which it will disappear from the list and will no longer update or work in the background.
Does changing the browser affect the speed of the phone?
The change itself does not affect the overall speed of the system. However, heavy browsers with many active tabs may consume more RAM. Yandex Browser is optimized for mobile devices and works stably on most Honor models.
How to get the old browser back?
The procedure is completely reversible. Log in Settings → Applications → Default applications → Browser and select the previous application in the list (for example, Google Chrome or the standard Honor browser).
Do I need to give the browser all permissions when installing?
No, not all permissions are required. For basic work, you need access to the Internet and storage (for downloading files). Access to the microphone, camera or geolocation is requested only when using specific functions and can be denied without affecting website browsing.