When we use other people’s phones to browse as a guest, a safe way to protect our browsing activities is to use incognito browsing mode. Incognito mode helps you browse privately and doesn’t save any of your browsing information on that device.
When done browsing with incognito mode on Android, the next essential step is to clear the tabs. Removing the incognito tabs prevents others from seeing vital account information, forms filled, and other credentials.
To turn off your incognito tab on any Android phone, click the switch tab icon and click it. Then, click the menu icon at the top right of your screen. Finally, select “Close all tabs”.
The information given in this article will show you how to close incognito tabs on Android. You can also use the knowledge from here to learn how to approach it on an iPhone, PC, or any other device. We shall also reveal other ways to browse privately apart from using incognito tabs. But before that, let’s see how to browse in incognito mode on Android.
How To Browse in Incognito Mode on Android
Here is how to browse in incognito mode using the Chrome browser.
- Open the Chrome app on your Android device.
- Navigate to the top right corner bar and tap the more icon.
- Select the “New Incognito tab”. This step opens a new window for private browsing.
Chrome does not allow taking screenshots or seeing your browsing history in incognito mode. If you want to take a screenshot or save your browsing history, use the standard Chrome tab.
How To Open Two Incognito Tabs
To open two incognito tabs, use the switch tab icon. The switch tab icon allows you to open a new anonymous account or close them.
Also, you can use the menu icon to open a new incognito tab or to close the existing ones.
Method #1: Single Tap the Switch Tab Icon
You can open more than one incognito tab very quickly through these steps.
- Tapping the switch tab icon at the top right corner of your screen.
- Clicking the “+” icon on the left of your screen.
Method #2: Long Press the Switch Tab Icon
You can create another incognito tab by long-pressing the switch tab icon at the top right of your screen and click “New incognito tab”.
Method #3: Tap the Menu Icon
By tapping the menu icon and selecting “New incognito tab”, you can create another incognito tab.
How To Turn Off Incognito on Android
You can close the incognito tab if you want to stop browsing in private mode. Automatically closing the incognito tab takes you to the regular Chrome tab.
To close all incognito tabs, you should follow these steps.
- Go to the top right and click the switch tab icon.
- Select “Close Incognito tabs”.
What Happens When You Browse on an Incognito Tab?
When you browse privately in incognito, your browsing data, like history, cookies, site data, and your forms on the website, won’t get saved.
However, note that you can download files on an incognito tab and save them on your device.
Also, the website owners, your employers, your school, and your internet service provider can still know about your browsing history, even in incognito.
How Does Private Browsing Work?
Private browsing, such as incognito mode, works by disabling access to record your browsing history.
In regular browsing tabs, Chrome allows your browsing data to get saved on your device. However, for incognito tabs, Chrome disables the browser from storing your browsing history.
This same mode works not just for Chrome but for other browsers as well.
What Are the Ways To Browse Privately on Android?
As there are different ways site trackers use to monitor activities on websites, there are also other ways to evade tracking and browse privately.
Site trackers can use cookies, cache data, user Google or another website account, device ID, and most importantly, IP address. From the knowledge of these tracking ways, developers and cybersecurity experts have designed ways to conceal this information.
The information below shows us how to browse privately apart from using an incognito browser.
Method #1: Clear Your Cookies and Caches
When cookies and caches are stored on your device, it keeps the information about the website you visited. Hence, if you see any website you have visited, the website will recognize you as an existing user.
The site links your activities from the previous browsing sessions to the present ones to get more information about you. Clearing your cookies will prevent the site from recognizing your past browsing sessions.
Method #2: Use a VPN
Every internet user has two types of IP addresses. The first is the public IP address which is the one provided by your internet service provider. This IP address can be shared between two or more devices if they receive internet from the same servers.
The second is the local IP address unique to your device, irrespective of your internet service provider. Site trackers use this local IP address to track your activities.
However, with a VPN, you can change this local IP address, and site trackers wouldn’t be able to recognize you or your device.
Other ways to browse privately include the following.
- The use of public internet devices, for instance, browsing in a cafe with an incognito tab.
- Usage of another smartphone to have a new device ID.
- Use a different sign-in account to access a website if you have more than one.
Conclusion
In today’s world, private browsing is good, especially when we share devices with others. For instance, we share devices in cafes, schools, and offices. Apart from these public places, we may need to borrow our friend’s smartphone, mainly when we run out of network bandwidth or suddenly misplace our devices.
One way to keep our online accounts and information safe while using other people’s devices is to use incognito tabs and browsers. It is safe to close the incognito tabs while browsing, and this article has guided you through the procedures.
