Opera has updated its Android web browser today with a new reader mode so you can get past webpage clutter. It also allows you to configure the address bar action button and includes refinements to the closed tabs menu to make it more efficient at restoring tabs closed a while ago. Aside from these three enhancements, there are plenty of smaller tweaks, according to the browser maker, that will provide a better browsing experience.
Perhaps the biggest feature included in this update is the new reader mode which unclutters webpages to allow you to focus on the text and images of the article you are there to read. To toggle reader mode, look for the icon that appears on the right-hand side of the address bar when you’re on a webpage that can be converted to the simple format.
If you're not interested in the reader mode, you can always customise the icon in the address bar with today’s update. If you head to Settings > Appearance > Shortcut in address bar, you can pick from several alternative items including reload, share, translate, and find in page. With reader mode taking the default spot in the address bar, the reload button was moved off into the three-dot menu.
The final big change that Opera included was the ability to easily re-open closed tabs. In previous versions of Opera for Android, you were able to restore the last tab but if you wanted to get an older tab you’d have to restore several other tabs first. It was decided this was not efficient so the whole feature was redesigned. With this update, you can now see a chronological list making it easier to find the tab you want to open.
If you already use Opera for Android, you should receive an update via Google Play. If you don’t use it and want to see the state of the browser you can download it here.
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