If you’re looking to engage in some private, safe and secure browsing either on Google Chrome or Samsung Internet via your Android device, then we’re here to show you how. To learn how to enable Incognito Mode on Android, simply follow our step-by-step tutorials below. For all other information, please refer to our comprehensive FAQ section at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
How to enable Incognito Mode in Google Chrome on Android
- On your Android phone or tablet device, open up the Google or Chrome app
- Once in Google Chrome, tap three vertical dots in the top-right of the screen
- Below ‘Google Account’ you should see a button labeled ‘New Chrome incognito tab’, tap this now
- You will be redirected to a Chrome Incognito tab and have effectively enabled Incognito Mode
- You can now browse in private for as long as you want. To exit out of Incognito Mode, simply close the Incognito tab(s) you have open
How to enable Secret Mode in Samsung Internet on Android
- On your Android smartphone or tablet device, open up the Samsung Internet app
- Once in the Samsung Internet app, tap the ‘tabs’ icon (looks like two overlapping squares) toward the bottom of the screen
- You’ll pull up a window featuring all of the tabs you currently have open in normal viewing mode. To access ‘Secret Mode’ tap ‘Turn on Secret mode’ at the bottom-left of this window
- You will be redirected to a Samsung Internet secret tab and have effectively enabled Secret Mode in Samsung Internet
- You can now browse in private for as long as you want. To exit out of Secret Mode, simply tap the tab icon again, and then tap ‘’Turn off Secret mode’
There you have it! Two easy-to-follow tutorials for two different ways to browse secretly and privately using your Android smartphone or tablet device. If you have any further questions, or would like more information on the subject, please refer to our FAQs below.
FAQs
What is Incognito Mode on Android devices?
Incognito Mode (also known as ‘Secret Browsing’) is a mode specific to Google, though also shared by Samsung Internet, which does not keep a browser history of your searches, nor does it collect your data or the cookies you would normally accrue through regular internet browsing.
In short, it ensures that the record of whatever you are looking at, doing or viewing whilst in Incognito Mode will be immediately erased upon exiting out of Incognito Mode. The term ‘Incognito Mode’ applies specifically to this mode as found in the Google Chrome app, usually installed by default on Android devices.
There is, however, a similar option on Samsung Internet, which we’ll also go into above in our tutorials, since many Android users are, by design, also Samsung Galaxy or Samsung smartphone users.
To learn how to enable Incognito Mode on Android, simply follow our step-by-step tutorials above.
Why would I need to use Incognito Mode on Android devices?
There are any number of reasons why Incognito Mode might appeal to you, or why it might come in useful on any Android device. Essentially, however, Incognito Mode is most useful for any internet-based activities which you wish to keep private, or which it would benefit you for no one else to know about.
For example, many people who share a Google account with a spouse, flatmate, friend or family member tend to use Incognito Mode in Google Chrome for any internet searches which they don’t want the other account holder to know about – such as when shopping for birthday and holiday season gifts.
Other uses include the use of work or school computers for purposes other than that for which they’re intended, or for watching pornography in private. In the day and age of data mining and tracking, Incognito Mode simply provides you a free and safe, private space in which to operate online.
How do I get out of Incognito Mode on Android devices?
To get out of Incognito Mode on Android devices, whether in Google Chrome or Samsung Internet, is super easy. All you have to do is close the Incognito tabs you’ve got open, and you’ll return to ‘regular’ browsing. Alternatively – when in Samsung Internet’s so-called ‘Secret Mode’, you just need to tap the tabs icon again, and select ‘Turn off Secret mode’.
Is there any way for someone else to know what I’ve done when in Incognito Mode on Android devices?
Thankfully, there is no way for anyone who isn’t you to know what you did or didn’t do whilst in Incognito Mode on your Android smartphone or tablet. The only exception to this rule would be if you happened to accidentally leave your phone or tablet open on the Incognito Page(s) you were viewing, and someone else came across the device when you weren’t around. However, we think it’s probably highly unlikely that this would ever be the case.
