Hey everyone, 

Since some weeks ago, we noticed a major increase in the user base for our flagship Opera browser for Android. 

When we started digging into the amount of comments we were receiving, we saw that those of you who have been switching to Opera talk the most about the native features and streamlined design of our browser. This is nice to see as we’ve worked hard to provide faster and safer ways to explore the web in a nice packaged browser. Below there’s a list of the main features we’ve received very good comments about. 

1. Enhanced privacy and security while browsing 

Opera was the first mobile browser to integrate a free and unlimited Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN makes your browsing more private and secure, especially when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks like in coffee shops or restaurants. It creates a private connection between your mobile device and our VPN servers, hiding your physical location on the web and making it harder for website developers and malicious third parties to track your browsing activity. 

The native browser VPN uses a 256-bit encryption algorithm that drastically reduces the risk of third parties collecting sensitive pieces of your personal information. 

2. Easy QR code scanning ideal for the new normal

QR codes are everywhere: Since the COVID-19 outbreak started, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other public places have been putting QR codes as an alternative to their physical menus so customers can order their food or drinks while reducing the risk of infection. 

Even before COVID-19, the Opera browser for Android included an easy-to-access QR code and barcode scanner. To open it, tap on the combined address and search bar and then tap on the QR logo on the right side of the bar. 

Having a built-in QR code and barcode scanner in your browser gives you easy access without the hassle of accessing the Google Play Store and downloading an independent QR code scanner app when you are about to order your food. 

3. Comfortable reading on the go without distraction

We are delighted to see how popular the reader mode in our browser is becoming. The feedback from our users shows that we did right when we announced the redesign of this feature in February 2020. 

The new mode in the Opera browser is designed to help you focus on the article you read online. It can be enabled in the browser settings. The reader mode converts suitable web pages into a simplified format, displaying a neater version of the articles. Moreover, it fixes problems such as dense layouts and small fonts, making headlines in articles look like newspaper headlines, and differentiates the text from the system font used in the rest of the browser’s UI. 

4. A browsing experience free of permission boxes

We’ve all experienced notification boxes popping up, even on some of our favorite websites. We believe that this breaks the browsing experience as no one wants to be disturbed by such notifications. 

To solve this problem we introduced in the Opera browser a new notification handling feature in the Opera browser for Android, so that when a page wants to send push notifications, they must request permission from the browser first. 

Previously we had shown a blocking dialog asking for permission on the web page’s behalf. Now we simply block them and give a subtle notification to the user, saving people from distraction. If you really want to enable the web page notifications, you can always disable this feature in the Opera browser’s settings. 

5. Mobile browsing free of online ads

We were among the first developers to introduce an ad-blocker into our desktop and mobile browsers and have spent a lot of time improving it, making this feature extremely valuable for all our users. 

Last year we took our ad blocker a step further in the Opera browser for Android by adding a site-specific blocker, cryptojacking blocking – a.k.a. NoCoin, and a unique cookie dialog blocker. 

The site specific blocker allows you to opt-out the adblocker on a per-site basis. The site-specific ad block option can be enabled from the search bar of the browser. 

NoCoin protects your Android smartphone from malicious third parties that mine crypto currencies on your phone without you noticing it. Once you enable the ad blocker in the Opera browser for Android, it eliminates the cryptocurrency mining scripts that hijack your device. 

Last but not least, we also introduced a cookie dialog blocker into the Opera browser’s ad blocker. Once you enable it, the browser identifies cookie dialogue scripts and removes them before they appear on the website. This is especially useful nowadays, as these dialogs have really exploded on the web since the introduction of GDPR. 

Want more reasons? 

We love to listen to the feedback of our users and because all of you requested it, we recently added Flow to the Opera browser for Android, a popular feature previously known from our Opera Touch browser. 

This is an awesome feature for keeping notes, articles, travel ideas and links, as well as sharing images or other files across your devices.

The Opera browser also comes with a Picture-in-Picture mode for watching videos in your web browser (Video Pop-out). It also comes with new colorful themes, and is the first browser to integrate a built-in Crypto Wallet. This allows you to store the most popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and TRON. 

In short, the Opera browser for Android is an all-in-one alternative for those who love Android operating system. The Opera browser is crafted and designed in Scandinavia with the highest quality to make the online browsing experience faster, safer and more personal. 

During the last year, the Opera browser for Android received more than 100 feature updates, becoming the most powerful mobile browser available for free in the Google Play Store. 

We always love to hear back from our users. If you have the time, please let us know when you started using Opera, and what your favorite features are.

Happy browsing! 

Opera for Android

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