How To: Share Web Page Links with your Android Device using Chrome to Mobile Beta
Image Source: Chrome to Mobile Beta extension
Have you ever been browsing the internet and come across an article or interesting page that you want to continue reading on your mobile device? Through a combination of desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and mobile phones, most of us remain permanently connected to the internet - even when on the move. But our list of web favourites is usually different for each device, resulting in a frantic search on the train to find an article you began reading in the office or at home.
The Chrome to Mobile Beta extension is designed not as a way to unify your bookmarks between devices - for that you need to set up bookmark syncing with Google Chrome - but, rather, a quick hit way to send a link directly to your Android device running Chrome for Android Beta.
The best thing about this method, is that it can be done in a single click, once you have configured the Google Chrome extension. You can even send pages to your Android device for offline viewing, and the page data will start syncing instantly whilst you are connected to WiFi. Follow the steps in our guide to learn how.
You will need an Android device running Chrome for Android Beta and an active Google account to complete the process in this guide.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Using Google Chrome, sign in to Google and access the homepage for the Chrome to Mobile Beta extension. Click the Add to Chrome button and then choose Install when the confirmation dialog appears.
- 2
On your Android device, open Chrome and sign into Google with your normal Google account. Open then the configuration menu. Ensure that the Chrome to Mobile Service is enabled (check the corresponding box). This is the component that allows the Chrome to Mobile extension to communicate with your Android device.
- 3
Back on your desktop computer, click the Chrome to Mobile icon in the browser address bar to begin configuring the Google Chrome extension. The icon is only visible when you are viewing a page that can be shared using the extension, so you may need to browse to a website other than the Google Chrome store (extensions are blocked when viewing Google pages).
- 4
Click Connect Your Mobile Device, then select your device from the list. If you have multiple devices using Google Chrome with the same Google account, they should all be listed here.
- 5
Click Allow Access. The selected device is now linked to your desktop computer via the Chrome to Mobile extension. Repeat the process for any other devices you wish to connect in the same way.
- 6
Access a page in Google Chrome that you want to send to your Android device, then click the Chrome to Mobile icon in the address bar. Select the device to send to, if you previously registered more than one device.
- 7
Click Send. The page is instantly sent to the selected device and opens in Chrome for Android.
Tips & Advice
- If you want to view the page on your Android device whilst offline, e.g. you will be travelling in a poor signal area or abroad without 3G roaming, you can instruct Chrome to Mobile to send the link and start caching the required page data locally on the handset.
- When viewing a webpage on your desktop computer, click the Chrome to Mobile icon and check the offline copy box. Select the device you wish to send to and click Send.
- The page will begin instantly loading on the specified device, and will be viewable on it even when there is no internet connection.
