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"2. This is the dialog box that comes up when I click a YouTube link in Reddit. I've chose "Always" about 3,496 times thus far and it doesn't seem to ever last

by habosa 14y ago

"2. This is the dialog box that comes up when I click a YouTube link in Reddit. I've chose "Always" about 3,496 times thus far and it doesn't seem to ever last for more than a day or so. Basically, any time any app updates it seems to reset your default choices." I thought the article was a bit hand-wavy in general but that's something I agree with. I'm a die hard android user and I have this problem. Why do I have to make the choice for EVERY SINGLE BOOKMARK? Can't you remember that I open bookmarks in Chrome?

georgemcbay 14y ago
Part of the issue here is that Android lets you map different url/domains to different apps. Because maybe you want to open most URLs in Chrome but you want to open reddit urls in some Reddit-focused native app. (Ditto Play store URLs opening with the Play Market App instead of the default browser). This should only really come into play when you've installed apps with registered handlers for those URLs though. Having said that, it seems like he's running into a bug where it isn't saving this setting and I can see how in that case it would be hugely annoying to be asked this all the time. I'm a pretty big Android fanboy and my day job is currently Android programming and I mostly enjoy it, but I've been kind of surprised at the number of "how did they never notice this" bugs that have been introduced in Android over the recent past, especially in the two Jelly Bean releases. It is entirely possible this bug we're talking about now is phone-specific and isn't a general Android bug (I've never seen it nor heard of it being a common problem), but the amount of bugs introduced into the core OS over the past couple of releases is somewhat worrying.
- habosa 14y ago
  I understand how Android works with intents, and I actually think this is a problem with how certain apps are declaring their AndroidManifest files and how the system saves decisions. If I have bookmarks to mywebsite1.com and mywebsite2.com and I select "Always" for one of the links from Bookmarks, it will still ask which browser I want to use when the Bookmarks widget broadcasts and intent for mywebsite2.com. I think the system is probably saying "Use Chrome for all links to mywebsite1.com" when what I really mean is "Use Chrome for all links launched from Bookmarks Widget". I think there should be a new AndroidManifest property where you can simply declare "I open all web links" not "I open http://*/* http://*/* or whatever it is now. I understand that it's useful that I have a choice to open wikipedia links in the official app or in my browser but I see no reason to be asked for links that have no specific app for them. It's a fuzzy distinction, but important.
  - codeka 14y ago
    At least for me (Galaxy Nexus), that is how it works. I've set Chrome to "always" and now any links I click on in whatever app open in Chrome. Maybe is something specific about how the bookmark app I'd launching its intents, though, because I don't use that app (I use a reddit app for launching links mostly). The exception is links to sites which have their own handlers (reddit, YouTube, etc).
    - habosa 14y ago
      It works for me with most things, just certain apps break it. If you use the bookmarks widget or have multiple Wikipedia apps on the GNex you'll see what I mean. And it's (surprisingly) worse on the N7.

by habosa 14y ago

georgemcbay 14y ago

Part of the issue here is that Android lets you map different url/domains to different apps. Because maybe you want to open most URLs in Chrome but you want to open reddit urls in some Reddit-focused native app. (Ditto Play store URLs opening with the Play Market App instead of the default browser). This should only really come into play when you've installed apps with registered handlers for those URLs though. Having said that, it seems like he's running into a bug where it isn't saving this setting and I can see how in that case it would be hugely annoying to be asked this all the time. I'm a pretty big Android fanboy and my day job is currently Android programming and I mostly enjoy it, but I've been kind of surprised at the number of "how did they never notice this" bugs that have been introduced in Android over the recent past, especially in the two Jelly Bean releases. It is entirely possible this bug we're talking about now is phone-specific and isn't a general Android bug (I've never seen it nor heard of it being a common problem), but the amount of bugs introduced into the core OS over the past couple of releases is somewhat worrying.

habosa 14y ago
I understand how Android works with intents, and I actually think this is a problem with how certain apps are declaring their AndroidManifest files and how the system saves decisions. If I have bookmarks to mywebsite1.com and mywebsite2.com and I select "Always" for one of the links from Bookmarks, it will still ask which browser I want to use when the Bookmarks widget broadcasts and intent for mywebsite2.com. I think the system is probably saying "Use Chrome for all links to mywebsite1.com" when what I really mean is "Use Chrome for all links launched from Bookmarks Widget". I think there should be a new AndroidManifest property where you can simply declare "I open all web links" not "I open http://*/* http://*/* or whatever it is now. I understand that it's useful that I have a choice to open wikipedia links in the official app or in my browser but I see no reason to be asked for links that have no specific app for them. It's a fuzzy distinction, but important.
- codeka 14y ago
  At least for me (Galaxy Nexus), that is how it works. I've set Chrome to "always" and now any links I click on in whatever app open in Chrome. Maybe is something specific about how the bookmark app I'd launching its intents, though, because I don't use that app (I use a reddit app for launching links mostly). The exception is links to sites which have their own handlers (reddit, YouTube, etc).
  - habosa 14y ago
    It works for me with most things, just certain apps break it. If you use the bookmarks widget or have multiple Wikipedia apps on the GNex you'll see what I mean. And it's (surprisingly) worse on the N7.