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Chrome 64 for Android shortens and converts mobile links when sharing URLs

Chrome 64 rolled out to Android last month with features like sitewide audio muting and most recently an ad blocker. However, the browser also quietly gained a convenient little feature that automatically shortens URLs and converts them to their non-mobile version when sharing.

Spotted by Android Police, Chrome for Android will now clean up long or messy URLs shared through the browser’s built-in Share functionality in the overflow menu. Any link that’s appended by tracking identifiers or other cruft is now shortened to the absolutely bare minimum. For example, clicking a link on Twitter often appends a referer for the site to track how users arrived at the page.

In version 64, sharing that page using the Chrome menu will shorten the link. This also works on links from Amazon, Google AMP, and even mobile versions of sites (like Wikipedia and Yelp). In the latter scenario, users will be see the full desktop URL address when sharing.

This works with the “Copy to clipboard” option and any other third-party app. Meanwhile, manually copying the URL by heading to the Omnibar will provide the link in its entirety when needed.


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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com