Samsung Electronics released Samsung Internet 17.0, the company’s official mobile browser, on May 4, 2022. The new version of Samsung’s browser blocks Internet tracking automatically and improves the usability in several meaningful ways.
Samsung Internet Browser is the default mobile browser on Samsung devices. It is also available at the Google Play store for non-Samsung devices. The new update is not yet available on Google Play or the Galaxy Store at the time of writing, but Samsung announced that users would start to see update notifications once it is released.
Samsung Internet Browser users can check the version that is installed by selecting Menu > Settings > About Samsung Internet. The installed version is displayed and a check for updates is performed.
Samsung Internet 17.0 Improvements
The new version of Samsung’s mobile browser comes with improved anti-tracking functionality. The privacy feature is enabled by default for Samsung customers in several dozen countries, including the United States, South Korea, many European countries, including Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and Iceland.
The previous version of the Samsung Internet Browser supported anti-tracking functionality, but had it disabled by default. Users may go to Menu > Settings > Browsing privacy dashboard > Smart Anti Tracking to enable or disable the privacy feature in that browser.
Samsung did not provide specifics in regards to the enhancements of the anti-tracking feature in the new release, only that it is improved in the new version of the browser.
The built-in privacy dashboard is now accessible via the browser’s quick access panel. A tap on the entry opens the dashboard, revealing the number of trackers blocked. Users may change privacy settings right on the page as well.
Samsung notes in the release announcement that its browser supports external security keys for two-factor authentication now; this is an alternative to SMS-based or App-based verification options.
User Experience
Samsung Internet Browser 17.0 introduces support for tab groups. Users may open the tab view of the browser to drag & drop tabs on to each other to create tab groups. Tab groups consists of multiple sites, which improves organization, especially for users, who have lots of tabs open in the browser.
Samsung notes that the search experience has been improved for local data. Bookmarks, History and saved pages searches may process searches with common typos to return results to the user. Phonetic matching is now also supported, and Samsung’s translation service supports five additional languages, which brings the total to 26.
Closing Words
Samsung’s Internet Browser has a sizeable market share on mobile devices, thanks to its integration on Samsung devices. It is based on Chromium, the same source that Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other browsers use.
Now You: do you use Samsung’s browser on your mobile devices?
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