For many of us, a browser is our gateway to the internet. Most Android phones come with the Google Chrome browser preloaded. If your phone runs a firmware other than stock Android, it's likely that your phone has a different browser.
For example, Samsung phones come pre-installed with Samsung Browser and MIUI phones running Mi Browser offer Mi Browser in addition to Chrome.
If Chrome isn't your thing, Mi Browser is a good alternative. However, Mi Browser does have its drawbacks. One example is the annoying news feed. If it bothers you every time you launch a tab, you can disable it. We'll show you how to do it and maintain your sanity. Let's get started.
Why is the news feed disabled?
When you open Mi Browser, this is what the start page looks like:
Who wants such an overwhelming tab? It's not just a single start page, but every new tab contains a news feed—oh my, I never asked for that! The news feed is annoying and dazzling. That's not the end of the ordeal; it's also heavy on data usage. Opening a new tab refreshes the feed to publish new content every time.
Unfortunately, there's no direct setting to disable the feed. However, there's a workaround where you need to change your start page to a custom one, such as Google or something else. Once you do this, that specific page will open in every new tab.
Now that you know why your news feed is disabled, here's how to do it.
Hide news feed
to do this. Follow next steps:
Step 1: Open Mi Browser and tap the three-bar icon at the bottom. From the menu, select Settings.
Step 2: Scroll down under “Settings” and click “Advanced.”
Step 3: Click Set start page and choose Custom.
Step 4: Enter a URL of your choice. I suggest you keep www.google.com as it will open the Google search page every time, making it easy to access the search. An added bonus: the page is lightweight so it doesn't eat up your data.
Disable Mi Browser notifications
Besides the annoying news feed, Mi Browser comes with another headache. I'm talking about its notifications. Here's what my phone's notification panel looks like:
If you've never experienced it, you're in luck! But for those of you who are going through the painful journey of swiping through unnecessary notifications from Mi Browser, we're happy to help.
Contrary to popular belief, turning off notifications in Mi Browser is a simple process. Here are three ways to do it.
Method 1: From Mi Browser Settings
Step 1: Launch Mi Browser and tap the three-bar menu. Select Settings from the menu.
Step 2: Tap Notifications and turn off the toggle for notifications on the next screen.
Method 2: From the notification panel
When a notification arrives from the browser, tap and hold the notification directly on the notification panel and then turn off the toggle for notifications.
The third method: from the system settings
Another way to disable notifications is to use your system settings. Here are the steps to do so:
Step 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to Installed Apps.
Step 2Under Installed Apps, find the Browser app. Tap it.
- Advice: Use search to find the browser app.
Step 3: Tap Notifications. Turn off the toggle to show notifications.
- Tip: You can play with notifications by disabling vibration and keeping sound on.
Remove MI BROWSER as a default browser: Bring Chrome back
If you no longer want to use Mi Browser, it's time to say goodbye and switch to our beloved browser (or any browser you like).
There are two ways to remove Mi Browser from being the default browser. Here are both.
Method 1: From browser settings
Step 1: Open Mi Browser and go to Settings by tapping on the three bars menu.
Step 2: Turn off the toggle next to Set as default browser.
Method 2: From System Settings
Step 1: Open your phone's settings and go to installed apps.
Step 2: Tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and choose Default apps from the list.
Step 3: Click Browser and select the browser of your choice on the next screen.
- Note: Only browsers installed on your phone will appear here.
Goodbye news
The feed isn't limited to just two functions. Scrolling down the home page reveals a full feed that promotes randomly generated content from various categories such as sports, technology, entertainment, and more.
While some might like to get their daily dose of news from this feed, I hate it. Changing the homepage has given Mi Browser a new lease of life.
If you're a Mi fan, they recently released a great, lightweight, ad-free browser called Mint Browser. Give it a spin.
I love it when people get together and exchange ideas.