Running Chrome beta on Android in full screen

Chrome Beta for Android has been available in Google's Play store for less than a month for anyone to play around with. It introduced a couple of new features, including support for experimental features, that the stable version does not support yet.
A Reddit user discovered an interesting bug - or feature - in the beta version of Chrome for Android that enables you to browse in full screen mode on your device. Full screen mode hides the notification bar while you are browsing the Internet and while the gain in screen estate is not large, it improves the browsing experience visually by a lot.
Update: The option is no longer available and there does not seem to be an option to run apps on Android in fullscreen mode anymore unless they support the feature through an API. End
Here is what you need to do to browse in Chrome beta for Android devices in full screen:
- First thing you need to do is enable WebGL in the browser. You do so by loading chrome://flags in the browser first, which displays experimental features that are available. Browse until you find Enable WebGL and tap on it to enable the technology. Note that Chrome needs to be restarted afterwards
- Once you have done that and restarted the browser, you need to go to the WebGL Experiments website and launcht Boids and Buildings experiment on it. (no longer available)
- Click on Launch Experiment and when it has loaded on run to start it. You will notice that this triggers the full screen mode. What's interesting here is that full screen mode remains even if you close the tab you started the experiment on.
If you visit ghacks afterwards for instance, you will notice that the top notification bar is no longer visible. Note that Chrome Beta seems to use a different user agent which is not caught yet by the mobile plugin on the site.
If you prefer a visual representation check out the following video instead which demonstrates how you can enable full screen mode.
The main issue that many users will have currently with the implementation is that it needs to be activated manually. The best way to go about it is probably to bookmark the page of the web experiment to run it whenever you want to browse with Chrome in full screen.


Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.
He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.
Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?
Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?
Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.
The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.
It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.
> The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…
Sadly, I have to agree.
Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.
If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!
We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.
because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…
“Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.
How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.
Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.
Sorry posted on the wrong page.
such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time
I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.
I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S
Quoting the article,
“As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”
Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?
I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.
@John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]
This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.
> Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.
Firefox did this long before Safari.
Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.