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This Chrome update for Android makes clearing your browsing history much easier

Chrome has made it much easier to clear your browsing history on Android with a new update made available today.

In this update, a “Clear browsing data” shortcut has been added to the overflow menu, which houses all the most common actions used like New tab, History, Bookmarks, and more.

It is the fourth item down directly underneath the History button – you can then set specific time filters to clear your browsing data. This is set to last 15 minutes by default but more detailed control is available and can be updated to the last 24 hours, 7 days, the last four weeks, or even “all time”.

However, if you want to be more selective, you can select “More Options” to be able to set specific date parameters cookies, and cached images.

Previously, users would need to navigate to History and then either remove specific pages or tap Clear browsing data – this commonly-used function is quicker and less confusing to use, especially to those unfamiliar with Chrome. 

This update is currently only available in Chrome Beta for version 121 which is available to download from the Google Play Store. 

Screenshots of the new clear data shortcut on Chrome Beta

(Image credit: James ide / Future )

Keeping your browsing history vs clear 

Keeping your browsing history on your device is useful as it can help websites load faster and remember your details. Due to the pickup and put-down nature of mobile devices, it can easily allow you to carry on from whatever you were doing last.

However, clearing your device history and cache regulars can contribute to smooth performance and help prevent some sites from being able to collect data about you.

Sometimes, my browser look like a strange stream of consciousness record of my thought process if I’m looking at something specific, or if I’m idly thinking and trying to remember a word, actor, or phase. I don’t need a record of this data and sometimes it can be a little embarrassing to look back on. 

Another good reason to clear your data is to remove some persistent issues or bugs that you may be experiencing, though this certainly isn't a panacea that fixes everything.

Frequent updates and improvements to Chrome as well Google's willingness to experiment and focus on security have helped make it one of the best web browsers out there.

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