8 ms·

Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

This annoying UX issue has been existing for a few years now; why does Google do nothing about it? I know they're mining data from Google Accounts and get more value if I am logged in. However the UX aspect of it seems to be horrendous. Two scenarios that bother me: - I link my account to Chrome. If I unlink my account, and simply login to Gmail in the future, it automatically links the account back to Chrome - I link my account X to Chrome. Later, I sign into another account Y. When I am done with Y, I logout from my Gmail which has "Y", this automatically signs me out of X, and instantly unlinks X. Such an annoying UX. Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of Brave, Vivaldi, etc. ?

ggm 6y ago
Google Chrome supports "people" as an identity, a set of discrete logged in or not logged in runtime instances. I run three all the time: me@gmail, me@personaldomain and me@work. The cost is pane switching. The upside is, having chrome logged in means I get persisting clean history when I want it.
- princevegeta89 6y ago
  Not sure I follow fully. I agree with the clean history but what if, as a user, I have multiple Google accounts and I simply login to my other accounts from time to time to check on things? Google "adds" that other account, and the process of removing it is really confusing. I don't recall doing it successfully without logging out first. This seems to be a very common use case among my friends as well - they all have at least 3 Google accounts out of which they only use one account for chrome linking.
  - ggm 6y ago
    Then make each chrome account a different person tab and you won't accidentally pollute or cross pollinate your state. If you don't want using Chrome for Gmail (excellent js Gui) to pollute search and other work, might need to see if this kind of segmented behaviour works. Otherwise its two browser types: Chrome for one tab of mail and ephemeral tabs for clicked out of mail, and ff for everything else?
  - Mistri 6y ago
    I do the same thing as OP - I have multiple separate containers, each has its own set of cookies, and its own Google account that it is logged into. I just change my window when I want to use a different account. From what I understand, you're asking how you can just "temporarily" log into an account — can't you just add that account as a new user on Chrome? If not, you can always open an incognito window or a guest window, do your business, and close it. I do that often when I'm logging into an account that I don't want to persist.
bokchoi 6y ago
I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account-containers/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...
- princevegeta89 6y ago
  This is great. Is there any other browser that supports this sort of isolation as well? Not saying I can't use Firefox, but just wanted to know!
  - wartron 6y ago
    This might not be the answer your looking for, but i do this with just the chrome profile-directory command line flag to have a separate chrome for personal, work, and sometimes one for testing or contract work. The only downside or issue i've run into is when some application wants to use some web login and it just launched the default browser. sometimes copy and pasting the url into the browser with the profile i want to use works, sometimes not.
- abstract_put 6y ago
  I started using this, but my impression of the usability is poor. E.g. I use GitHub both personally and for work, on the one hand containers are awesome because it handles the "staying logged in" really well, but on the other hand opening tabs and links is a nightmare that ends up with me duplicating every tab in the right container. I'd love it if I could say "this window is my work window, all tabs should open in work". Have you found any way to deal with that?
  - quesera 6y ago
    Firefox profiles is an option, if you prefer to split accounts into different windows. I use Firefox container tabs (for GitHub specifically) instead. It's lighter-weight and the UI is better. Container tabs are color-coded, so the different accounts are easy to distinguish. Or you could use container tabs in multiple Firefox windows under a single Firefox profile.
quesera 6y ago
"Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" https://www.rogerebert.com/features/henny-youngman-doctor-it-hurts-when-i-do-this https://www.rogerebert.com/features/henny-youngman-doctor-it... In all seriousness, I recommend a browser that takes privacy seriously. It's a spectrum -- but for me, Firefox is the right answer. Compartmentalization via containers and/or profiles (and content filtering with uBlock Origin) is the only way to browse the modern web.
- princevegeta89 6y ago
  Any idea about brave/vivaldi?
  - toyg 6y ago
    They effectively rely on Chrome to do all the heavy lifting, and have to manually undo or alter any "bad" move Google makes. And of course they do nothing for the health of the web at large, since they keep users locked into the Chromium engine. Vivaldi is not even fully opensource, although I admit it is the one I keep around for testing compatibility with the Chrome world.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
just_steve_h 6y ago
"Why hasn't Google 'fixed' this 'bug' that gives them access to so much more of my valuable data?"
- princevegeta89 6y ago
  I'm already logged in through one account, not sure if there is any value in tracking other accounts there are used so rarely anyway.
sarcasmatwork 6y ago
Try the Brave browser
geofft 6y ago
Do you remember the class-action lawsuit recently where people claimed that Google still tracks you in incognito mode - meaning that Chrome's incognito mode worked exactly as you or I would expect, but if you happen to visit sites with Google Analytics or Google Ads in a single incognito session, those products will leave cookies in that session exactly as you or I would expect? The average person does not draw a meaningful distinction between a Google login button in the browser and a Google login button on a website. The least confusing UX actually is to avoid the situation where you log into your Google account for e.g. Gmail and then Chrome says "You're logged out." As others have mentioned, Firefox container tabs are fantastic for solving this (I have a separate "Google" tab, so my normal browsing remains logged out), and I think those of us who care about these things owe it to the world to use Firefox.
zelon88 6y ago
This has been a feature ever since 69 I believe. I also believe that 71 introduced a setting to disable. That's when I switched most of my devices to Firefox.
Wolfenstein98k 6y ago
This is exactly what I would expect to happen - and if you imagine being a typical user, what they would expect too. I used incognito windows to log into Google services back when I used Chrome. Now I use Brave, and it has a feature that prevents logging in browser-wide just because you signed in to a given Google service, IIRC. (I still use incognito though, mostly out of habit and an obsessive desire to manage my "history" - I do all fresh searches and follow all links through incognito and only move things into the normal window when I want it to be in my history / findable later)
- throw_away892 6y ago
  Brave just like other Chromium-based browsers will link any logged in Google accounts to browser data/history. How much of this data is sent back to Google should be the question here. Am not qualified enough to give this but it's reasonable to say Google will have the last laugh in this scenario. I also have an eery feeling Google tracks you even when you go incognito. After all it is the same browser (leaks such as supercookies keep coming up) and more importantly, their own browser. All this is however wild conjecture. Am paranoid at all things Google & tracking. A better approach IMO would be to isolate all Google-related activity to its own separate browser or go Firefox containers.
tedivm 6y ago
This isn't a bug, this is an explicit decision they made. It caused a bit of a stir at the time, but they went through with the change anyways. Personally for me it was the last straw, and I've since moved to Firefox.
- sk5t 6y ago
  Firefox, with account containers.
- nwsm 6y ago
  I find many many websites are broken on firefox.
  - em-bee 6y ago
    i don't find that, but maybe i am not using the same websites. can you give some examples?
    - DangitBobby 6y ago
      I can't give you any specific examples, but as a Firefox user, I can tell you that many forms, especially e-commerce checkouts forms, are slightly broken in Firefox. They are often broken enough that you must switch to Chrome to submit a payment.
      - tweetle_beetle 6y ago
        This really surprises me. I've used Firefox exclusively for years and have never not been able to complete an action because of it (unless it was my own fault - disabling required third party scripts, etc). Why can't you give examples - is it just memory, or something else?
        DangitBobby 6y ago
        It's never bigger places like Amazon, I've only had it happen on little shops like websites that sell Indie games. I don't remember which ones it's happened on, but it's happened a few times. I shouldn't have said "many," it's just that it's quite irritating when it happens.
SecurityMinded 6y ago
Use firefox Or Vivaldi (not Opera because commies are interested in what you are saying :) Or Brave Or Edge Or Safari... choices are endless.
Wowfunhappy 6y ago
To make Chrome stop doing this, go to "Settings" > "Sync & Google Services", then switch off "Allow Chrome Sign-In".
- beervirus 6y ago
  Or delete chrome and install Firefox.
- ecf 6y ago
  There is a non-zero chance that out there somewhere is a Google team using the number of times someone clicked that setting off as a drinking game.
  - Wowfunhappy 6y ago
    ...are you saying you've had the setting turn itself back on? That hasn't happened to me.
    - sxv 6y ago
      I think the implication is that the corporate minions knowingly inflict and delight in our suffering.
beervirus 6y ago
> why does Google do nothing about it? I think you know.
vehemenz 6y ago
There are people out there that only have one Google account and don't care too much about data collection, but for the rest of us, there is no reason that bookmarks should be tied to Gmail, Google Analytics, and YouTube. This, and the lack of temporary container browsing makes Chrome a pretty tough sell for power users. > Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of Brave, Vivaldi, etc. ? Yes.
- MeinBlutIstBlau 6y ago
  I gave up. I really did try. I did firefox. I did containers. I had no script. I had adblock. You name it. My browsing experience and pleasure of using the internet significantly improved because I didn't need to screw around with some setting somewhere to the site to work. You know what? They won. There is absolutely nothing we can do about it. I really wish we could but i just can't stand having to increase the maintenance of my life just because I I'm afraid me, among the myriad of billions whom do the same, is somehow special to being tracked.
  - hedora 6y ago
    That’s not really a fair comparison. Firefox with default settings + ublock works fine just about everywhere. Edit: also, leaving incognito on all the time still doesn’t break much of anything, and gives most of the privacy benefits of the other stuff you mentioned.
  - kcartlidge 6y ago
    After many years of Chrome, then Brave, I've been on Firefox (M1 Mac) for a few months now with not a single issue. If you don't sign into Google properties then there's no problem. If you do then there is. The thing to dump is not Chrome, but Google (ideally both but ymmv).
  - vehemenz 6y ago
    I haven't had any issues with website compatabilities in Firefox for at least four or five years. What were you encountering?
solution-finder 6y ago
Surprised no one mentioned Microsoft’s new Edge browser. It’s based on Chromium engine but without a lot of those recently annoying features of Chrome
- MeinBlutIstBlau 6y ago
  It's a good browser that's for sure. But the lack of google integration the way chrome does it kinda kills it for me. Might as well just use chrome.
perryizgr8 6y ago
I have up on chrome and now use edge. It works on all os and doesn't contain Google tracking.
nashashmi 6y ago
The time to abandon chrome was when they took steps to hurt ublock. This is a step (of transparency) the browser takes to reflect a google login happening. On any website. Including gmail. Including stackoverflow. It doesn’t transmit browser data. Next step once people are used to this is to upload browser data. With excuses like that is what the user understands already.
dataminded 6y ago
There's a very quick fix for this -- install firefox :-D
wlesieutre 6y ago
> Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of [other frontends for Blink where you can keep helping Google shore up their ability railroad the web standards process]? For real, how is Firefox not on the list of browser options?
stephc_int13 6y ago
I stopped using Chrome a while ago precisely because I was bothered with this "feature". In a more general way, I don't think that a company should be allowed to own such a large part of the internet (Android + Google + Youtube + Gmail + Maps + Chrome etc.) that is waaay too much.
- calvinmorrison 6y ago
  Remember when microsoft had antitrust suits for the mere bundling of explorer? And how how much less nefarious that was!
twirlock 6y ago
Yeah. Google is a ridiculous datapredator and nothing will be done about it because secret law enforcement benefits while having no public accountability.
abinaya_rl 6y ago
This is the exact reason why I switched to Firefox!
millstone 6y ago
You should consider leaving Gmail instead. I have been migrated most of my stuff away from Gmail to Fastmail. What I like about Fastmail is that its custom domain and IMAP support is first-class instead of an afterthought, it doesn't mine my email for purchases/trips/other, its web UI really is better, and I don't worry about my account being cancelled with no recourse. (No association, just a happily paying customer).
MilnerRoute 6y ago
I've been using a separate browser for sites that I log into -- like Gmail, Twitter, etc. It's not foolproof, but it separates at least some of my identity from my browsing history.
2Gkashmiri 6y ago
look. I have been using an internet browser since 2005. Each an every day. Then since 2008, i have used an iphone and for the past 4 years used an android because i couldnt afford apple. Never in these years i have had the desire to "keep my bookmarks in sync". Absolutely never. I just don't get the appeal of the "sync" features. I remember apple introducing it long time ago with "your open tabs are available everywhere" and i was like "why would i even want that". Same for passwords. i have been using a keepass file to keep everything in one place and its not like i have to change every password every day that it needs to be in sync 24x7. Just so you know, i spend almost 90 hours a week infront of my desktop/laptop/phone so i use a browser a lot, just not "connected" features. I personally see this as a solution to a problem that doesnt exist. Look, why should a person who has only one phone need a syncing tool? to sync to what? I have my phone which is using firefox focus so that is that but i also have regular firefox but it is just another dumb browser. I use kdeconnect which gets me everything i need. I last time asked why don't these newfang browser makes not adopt firefox as their codebase instead of chrome and the general consensus was "yada yada yada its too difficult, oh chrome so fun and easy" and then you have yesterdays' brave tor dns leak news which tells me exactly why the tor project chose firefox instead of "chromium".
- throw_away892 6y ago
  Just because you (unique use case) don't see the problem doesn't mean it does not exist (for the common average user). The whole browser "sync" you get with Chrome is much more than keeping your bookmarks. It is a feature that now includes Google's ecosystem and for its users, the majority of people, it allows them to pick up where they left from. A major advantage in user experience. Firefox has a long way to catch up to the polish & convenience of Chromium-based browsers. This is just a sad fact. As for Brave, I won't give divulge too much to the recent tor dns leak news. Anyone knowledgeable enough to be using Tor knows the dangers of using a different browser from Tor and it's consequences.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
butz 6y ago
The day this feature landed in Chrome I switched to Firefox.
pid_0 6y ago
If you care about your privacy, why are you using google products?

ggm 6y ago

Google Chrome supports "people" as an identity, a set of discrete logged in or not logged in runtime instances. I run three all the time: me@gmail, me@personaldomain and me@work. The cost is pane switching. The upside is, having chrome logged in means I get persisting clean history when I want it.

princevegeta89 6y ago
Not sure I follow fully. I agree with the clean history but what if, as a user, I have multiple Google accounts and I simply login to my other accounts from time to time to check on things? Google "adds" that other account, and the process of removing it is really confusing. I don't recall doing it successfully without logging out first. This seems to be a very common use case among my friends as well - they all have at least 3 Google accounts out of which they only use one account for chrome linking.
- ggm 6y ago
  Then make each chrome account a different person tab and you won't accidentally pollute or cross pollinate your state. If you don't want using Chrome for Gmail (excellent js Gui) to pollute search and other work, might need to see if this kind of segmented behaviour works. Otherwise its two browser types: Chrome for one tab of mail and ephemeral tabs for clicked out of mail, and ff for everything else?
- Mistri 6y ago
  I do the same thing as OP - I have multiple separate containers, each has its own set of cookies, and its own Google account that it is logged into. I just change my window when I want to use a different account. From what I understand, you're asking how you can just "temporarily" log into an account — can't you just add that account as a new user on Chrome? If not, you can always open an incognito window or a guest window, do your business, and close it. I do that often when I'm logging into an account that I don't want to persist.

bokchoi 6y ago

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account-containers/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

princevegeta89 6y ago
This is great. Is there any other browser that supports this sort of isolation as well? Not saying I can't use Firefox, but just wanted to know!
- wartron 6y ago
  This might not be the answer your looking for, but i do this with just the chrome profile-directory command line flag to have a separate chrome for personal, work, and sometimes one for testing or contract work. The only downside or issue i've run into is when some application wants to use some web login and it just launched the default browser. sometimes copy and pasting the url into the browser with the profile i want to use works, sometimes not.
abstract_put 6y ago
I started using this, but my impression of the usability is poor. E.g. I use GitHub both personally and for work, on the one hand containers are awesome because it handles the "staying logged in" really well, but on the other hand opening tabs and links is a nightmare that ends up with me duplicating every tab in the right container. I'd love it if I could say "this window is my work window, all tabs should open in work". Have you found any way to deal with that?
- quesera 6y ago
  Firefox profiles is an option, if you prefer to split accounts into different windows. I use Firefox container tabs (for GitHub specifically) instead. It's lighter-weight and the UI is better. Container tabs are color-coded, so the different accounts are easy to distinguish. Or you could use container tabs in multiple Firefox windows under a single Firefox profile.

quesera 6y ago

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" https://www.rogerebert.com/features/henny-youngman-doctor-it-hurts-when-i-do-this https://www.rogerebert.com/features/henny-youngman-doctor-it... In all seriousness, I recommend a browser that takes privacy seriously. It's a spectrum -- but for me, Firefox is the right answer. Compartmentalization via containers and/or profiles (and content filtering with uBlock Origin) is the only way to browse the modern web.

princevegeta89 6y ago
Any idea about brave/vivaldi?
- toyg 6y ago
  They effectively rely on Chrome to do all the heavy lifting, and have to manually undo or alter any "bad" move Google makes. And of course they do nothing for the health of the web at large, since they keep users locked into the Chromium engine. Vivaldi is not even fully opensource, although I admit it is the one I keep around for testing compatibility with the Chrome world.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

just_steve_h 6y ago

"Why hasn't Google 'fixed' this 'bug' that gives them access to so much more of my valuable data?"

princevegeta89 6y ago
I'm already logged in through one account, not sure if there is any value in tracking other accounts there are used so rarely anyway.

sarcasmatwork 6y ago

Try the Brave browser

geofft 6y ago

Do you remember the class-action lawsuit recently where people claimed that Google still tracks you in incognito mode - meaning that Chrome's incognito mode worked exactly as you or I would expect, but if you happen to visit sites with Google Analytics or Google Ads in a single incognito session, those products will leave cookies in that session exactly as you or I would expect? The average person does not draw a meaningful distinction between a Google login button in the browser and a Google login button on a website. The least confusing UX actually is to avoid the situation where you log into your Google account for e.g. Gmail and then Chrome says "You're logged out." As others have mentioned, Firefox container tabs are fantastic for solving this (I have a separate "Google" tab, so my normal browsing remains logged out), and I think those of us who care about these things owe it to the world to use Firefox.

zelon88 6y ago

This has been a feature ever since 69 I believe. I also believe that 71 introduced a setting to disable. That's when I switched most of my devices to Firefox.

Wolfenstein98k 6y ago

This is exactly what I would expect to happen - and if you imagine being a typical user, what they would expect too. I used incognito windows to log into Google services back when I used Chrome. Now I use Brave, and it has a feature that prevents logging in browser-wide just because you signed in to a given Google service, IIRC. (I still use incognito though, mostly out of habit and an obsessive desire to manage my "history" - I do all fresh searches and follow all links through incognito and only move things into the normal window when I want it to be in my history / findable later)

throw_away892 6y ago
Brave just like other Chromium-based browsers will link any logged in Google accounts to browser data/history. How much of this data is sent back to Google should be the question here. Am not qualified enough to give this but it's reasonable to say Google will have the last laugh in this scenario. I also have an eery feeling Google tracks you even when you go incognito. After all it is the same browser (leaks such as supercookies keep coming up) and more importantly, their own browser. All this is however wild conjecture. Am paranoid at all things Google & tracking. A better approach IMO would be to isolate all Google-related activity to its own separate browser or go Firefox containers.

tedivm 6y ago

This isn't a bug, this is an explicit decision they made. It caused a bit of a stir at the time, but they went through with the change anyways. Personally for me it was the last straw, and I've since moved to Firefox.

sk5t 6y ago
Firefox, with account containers.
nwsm 6y ago
I find many many websites are broken on firefox.
- em-bee 6y ago
  i don't find that, but maybe i am not using the same websites. can you give some examples?
  - DangitBobby 6y ago
    I can't give you any specific examples, but as a Firefox user, I can tell you that many forms, especially e-commerce checkouts forms, are slightly broken in Firefox. They are often broken enough that you must switch to Chrome to submit a payment.
    - tweetle_beetle 6y ago
      This really surprises me. I've used Firefox exclusively for years and have never not been able to complete an action because of it (unless it was my own fault - disabling required third party scripts, etc). Why can't you give examples - is it just memory, or something else?
      - DangitBobby 6y ago
        It's never bigger places like Amazon, I've only had it happen on little shops like websites that sell Indie games. I don't remember which ones it's happened on, but it's happened a few times. I shouldn't have said "many," it's just that it's quite irritating when it happens.

SecurityMinded 6y ago

Use firefox Or Vivaldi (not Opera because commies are interested in what you are saying :) Or Brave Or Edge Or Safari... choices are endless.

Wowfunhappy 6y ago

To make Chrome stop doing this, go to "Settings" > "Sync & Google Services", then switch off "Allow Chrome Sign-In".

beervirus 6y ago
Or delete chrome and install Firefox.
ecf 6y ago
There is a non-zero chance that out there somewhere is a Google team using the number of times someone clicked that setting off as a drinking game.
- Wowfunhappy 6y ago
  ...are you saying you've had the setting turn itself back on? That hasn't happened to me.
  - sxv 6y ago
    I think the implication is that the corporate minions knowingly inflict and delight in our suffering.

beervirus 6y ago

> why does Google do nothing about it? I think you know.

vehemenz 6y ago

There are people out there that only have one Google account and don't care too much about data collection, but for the rest of us, there is no reason that bookmarks should be tied to Gmail, Google Analytics, and YouTube. This, and the lack of temporary container browsing makes Chrome a pretty tough sell for power users. > Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of Brave, Vivaldi, etc. ? Yes.

MeinBlutIstBlau 6y ago
I gave up. I really did try. I did firefox. I did containers. I had no script. I had adblock. You name it. My browsing experience and pleasure of using the internet significantly improved because I didn't need to screw around with some setting somewhere to the site to work. You know what? They won. There is absolutely nothing we can do about it. I really wish we could but i just can't stand having to increase the maintenance of my life just because I I'm afraid me, among the myriad of billions whom do the same, is somehow special to being tracked.
- hedora 6y ago
  That’s not really a fair comparison. Firefox with default settings + ublock works fine just about everywhere. Edit: also, leaving incognito on all the time still doesn’t break much of anything, and gives most of the privacy benefits of the other stuff you mentioned.
- kcartlidge 6y ago
  After many years of Chrome, then Brave, I've been on Firefox (M1 Mac) for a few months now with not a single issue. If you don't sign into Google properties then there's no problem. If you do then there is. The thing to dump is not Chrome, but Google (ideally both but ymmv).
- vehemenz 6y ago
  I haven't had any issues with website compatabilities in Firefox for at least four or five years. What were you encountering?

solution-finder 6y ago

Surprised no one mentioned Microsoft’s new Edge browser. It’s based on Chromium engine but without a lot of those recently annoying features of Chrome

MeinBlutIstBlau 6y ago
It's a good browser that's for sure. But the lack of google integration the way chrome does it kinda kills it for me. Might as well just use chrome.

perryizgr8 6y ago

I have up on chrome and now use edge. It works on all os and doesn't contain Google tracking.

nashashmi 6y ago

The time to abandon chrome was when they took steps to hurt ublock. This is a step (of transparency) the browser takes to reflect a google login happening. On any website. Including gmail. Including stackoverflow. It doesn’t transmit browser data. Next step once people are used to this is to upload browser data. With excuses like that is what the user understands already.

dataminded 6y ago

There's a very quick fix for this -- install firefox :-D

wlesieutre 6y ago

> Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of [other frontends for Blink where you can keep helping Google shore up their ability railroad the web standards process]? For real, how is Firefox not on the list of browser options?

stephc_int13 6y ago

I stopped using Chrome a while ago precisely because I was bothered with this "feature". In a more general way, I don't think that a company should be allowed to own such a large part of the internet (Android + Google + Youtube + Gmail + Maps + Chrome etc.) that is waaay too much.

calvinmorrison 6y ago
Remember when microsoft had antitrust suits for the mere bundling of explorer? And how how much less nefarious that was!

twirlock 6y ago

Yeah. Google is a ridiculous datapredator and nothing will be done about it because secret law enforcement benefits while having no public accountability.

abinaya_rl 6y ago

This is the exact reason why I switched to Firefox!

millstone 6y ago

You should consider leaving Gmail instead. I have been migrated most of my stuff away from Gmail to Fastmail. What I like about Fastmail is that its custom domain and IMAP support is first-class instead of an afterthought, it doesn't mine my email for purchases/trips/other, its web UI really is better, and I don't worry about my account being cancelled with no recourse. (No association, just a happily paying customer).

MilnerRoute 6y ago

I've been using a separate browser for sites that I log into -- like Gmail, Twitter, etc. It's not foolproof, but it separates at least some of my identity from my browsing history.

2Gkashmiri 6y ago

look. I have been using an internet browser since 2005. Each an every day. Then since 2008, i have used an iphone and for the past 4 years used an android because i couldnt afford apple. Never in these years i have had the desire to "keep my bookmarks in sync". Absolutely never. I just don't get the appeal of the "sync" features. I remember apple introducing it long time ago with "your open tabs are available everywhere" and i was like "why would i even want that". Same for passwords. i have been using a keepass file to keep everything in one place and its not like i have to change every password every day that it needs to be in sync 24x7. Just so you know, i spend almost 90 hours a week infront of my desktop/laptop/phone so i use a browser a lot, just not "connected" features. I personally see this as a solution to a problem that doesnt exist. Look, why should a person who has only one phone need a syncing tool? to sync to what? I have my phone which is using firefox focus so that is that but i also have regular firefox but it is just another dumb browser. I use kdeconnect which gets me everything i need. I last time asked why don't these newfang browser makes not adopt firefox as their codebase instead of chrome and the general consensus was "yada yada yada its too difficult, oh chrome so fun and easy" and then you have yesterdays' brave tor dns leak news which tells me exactly why the tor project chose firefox instead of "chromium".

throw_away892 6y ago
Just because you (unique use case) don't see the problem doesn't mean it does not exist (for the common average user). The whole browser "sync" you get with Chrome is much more than keeping your bookmarks. It is a feature that now includes Google's ecosystem and for its users, the majority of people, it allows them to pick up where they left from. A major advantage in user experience. Firefox has a long way to catch up to the polish & convenience of Chromium-based browsers. This is just a sad fact. As for Brave, I won't give divulge too much to the recent tor dns leak news. Anyone knowledgeable enough to be using Tor knows the dangers of using a different browser from Tor and it's consequences.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

butz 6y ago

The day this feature landed in Chrome I switched to Firefox.

pid_0 6y ago

If you care about your privacy, why are you using google products?