Missing Chrome tabs on new Android device

[Android Central Question]

I have acquired a new Huawei 8" Android tablet (MediaPad T3 8, with Android 7.1.1), in which the Chrome browser behaves differently from what I am used to. The tabs are no longer visible horizontally. It has tabs, but they behave differently from the traditional way. Instead of showing "tabs" horizontally as usual, it has a square box to the right of the address bar with the number of open tabs written in it. If you want to switch tabs, you tap that square box, then you see the open tabs listed vertically, and can select the one you want. But you see individual tabs listed horizontally in the traditional way. That is how it looks and behaves even if I change the viewing mode to "Desktop" from the top right menu. I would like to be able to change this behavior back to the traditional way, and I haven't been able to figure out how to do it. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[hallux]

Are you comparing the mobile device to the way Chrome works on a desktop? The way you describe is how the mobile version of Chrome has worked for years. That "desktop" option in the menu is for page rendering, it forces the browser to request a desktop version of a site that has fed you a mobile-friendly version.

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[Harfad]

Thank you hallux, that was me! I just signed up. You said, "Are you comparing the mobile device to the way Chrome works on a desktop? The way you describe is how the mobile version of Chrome has worked for years." The answer is that I have had mobile Android devices for years that haven't worked like that. I had a 7" Nexus 7 (2013, Second Gen) since they first came out until now, and it never worked like that. I now also have an 8" Lenovo tablet (tab 4 8) with spec that is nearly identical to the Huawei one that we are now talking about, and that also doesn't work like that. It has a Chrome browser that behaves just like the desktop one. So I don't accept your premise that mobile Android devices must necessarily always work like that.

 

[Harfad]

Where have all the experts gone?

 

[hallux]

My apologies - I misstated what my experience is. My tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab S3) DOES display tabs across the top. This may be a screen size or some other trigger within the app that changes the behavior from what you're seeing to the tabs across the top version. However, this would be written into the app and not something that can be changed, though it may trigger off a flag set by the device configuration.

 

[Dano1200r]

Open Gmail, Settings, General Settings, check your conversation view and your other mail settings.

 

[chanchan05]

Chrome detects your device as a phone and not a tablet for a reason. What you're describing is how Chrome is supposed to work on phones. The horizontal tabs on top is the tablet UI.

 

[Harfad]

Chrome detects your device as a phone and not a tablet for a reason. What you're describing is how Chrome is supposed to work on phones. The horizontal tabs on top is the tablet UI.

Thank you! I didn't know that! I learned something new today. Maybe it detects it as a phone because there is a SIM card in it. I bought it from a shop belonging to a mobile carrier mainly selling mobile phones, and they gave me a free SIM card to put in it with one month's free usage. After that I would have to top it up to get more use out of it on the go. So I have got two more questions to ask: (1) How can I tell it that it is not a mobile phone so it doesn't behave like that? (2) Is it possible to wipe it clean of everything, and install a generic version of the latest Android (8.1) on it? At the moment it has Android 7 installed on it, and it won't update to anything higher. It also has a lot of crap installed on it from Huawei, as well as from the mobile carrier where I got it from, which bloats it up, and it doesn't let me to uninstall. They have also tweaked it to make it look and feel the way they want it to look and feel. I would like to clear all of that out if possible, and install a generic version of the latest Android 8.1 on it. Is there a way of doing that?

 

[hallux]

1 - Have you tried removing and reinstalling Chrome? You could also try clearing the Chrome data and cache.

2 - There's no (easy) way to install a generic version of Android. Android, unlike Windows, MUST be built for the specific hardware it is to be run on. It is not a dynamic or "plug 'n play" OS as Windows is. This is part of the reason that it sometimes takes several months for devices not directly released by Google to get the new version, and why older devices will NEVER get new versions of the OS. The version that is currently installed is the latest version available from Huawei. Complicating matters even more - your device contains a cellular radio, a less common setup causing it to be less likely to have 3rd-party ROM support. As for the pre-installed Huawei apps, you can disable them but it won't clear the space they occupy.

Sadly, the infographic HTC put together on this is now broken in AC's article but here's the article - https://www.androidcentral.com/htc-details-android-oem-update-process-fancy-inforgraphic

Now, this is not to say there is absolutely NO way to get a newer version of Android on that device. The XDA site MAY have a solution but these tasks are not for people with limited experience.

 

[chanchan05]

Doubt it's because of the SIM card. My tablet is a 3G capable Tab 4 which can text and make calls but it shows the correct tablet UI.

 

[Harfad]

Thanks for all your ideas. On further examination, it looks like it has actually been set up like a mobile phone rather than a tablet. On the lock screen (I have given it a PIN), on the bottom left corner it says, EMERGENCY CALL. In other words, it behaves like a phone rather than a tablet. It looks like it has been set up that way. Any further thoughts on how I might be able to change that? What if I talked to the customer service people of Huawei, or of the mobile carrier where I got it from, would they be able to help?

 

[chanchan05]

Thanks for all your ideas. On further examination, it looks like it has actually been set up like a mobile phone rather than a tablet. On the lock screen (I have given it a PIN), on the bottom left corner it says, EMERGENCY CALL. In other words, it behaves like a phone rather than a tablet. It looks like it has been set up that way. Any further thoughts on how I might be able to change that? What if I talked to the customer service people of Huawei, or of the mobile carrier where I got it from, would they be able to help?

Nope. It goes deeper than being setup like a mobile phone. That's how my Tab 4 is as well. It has the emergency call and all things expected on a phone. It's just overly large for one at 7 inches. Sounds more like either an issue with Chrome not detecting screen size. You're better off contacting Google support.

 

[Harfad]

Nope. It goes deeper than being setup like a mobile phone. That's how my Tab 4 is as well. It has the emergency call and all things expected on a phone. It's just overly large for one at 7 inches. Sounds more like either an issue with Chrome not detecting screen size. You're better off contacting Google support.

Thank you. As I said earlier, I also have an 8" Lenovo tablet (tab 4 8) of almost identical spec to this Huawei one, and that one behaves differently. I have given that one a pin as well on the lock screen, and that one doesn't have any EMERGENCY CALL written on it. It doesn't behave like a phone as this one does, or tries to.

 

[chanchan05]

Thank you. As I said earlier, I also have an 8" Lenovo tablet (tab 4 8) of almost identical spec to this Huawei one, and that one behaves differently. I have given that one a pin as well on the lock screen, and that one doesn't have any EMERGENCY CALL written on it. It doesn't behave like a phone as this one does, or tries to.

And as I said earlier, having the EMERGENCY CALL button has nothing to do with Chrome having tabs or not. My 7 inch Galaxy Tab 4 that has a sim and can actually make calls like a phone also has that but I have the chrome tabs. I am in Asia, and here even 10 inch Samsung tablets have EMERGENCY CALL buttons on the lockscreen and Chrome works fine.

You're better off contacting Google support and state that the app is detecting your tablet wrong.

 

[Harfad]

Nope. It goes deeper than being setup like a mobile phone. That's how my Tab 4 is as well. It has the emergency call and all things expected on a phone. It's just overly large for one at 7 inches. Sounds more like either an issue with Chrome not detecting screen size. You're better off contacting Google support.

Thank you. As I said earlier, I also have an 8" Lenovo tablet (tab 4 8) of almost identical spec to this Huawei one, and that one behaves differently. I have given that one a pin as well on the lock screen, and that one doesn't have any EMERGENCY CALL written on it. It doesn't behave like a phone as this one does, or tries to.

 

[hallux]

You're better off contacting Google support and state that the app is detecting your tablet wrong

Or Huawei support and report that the tablet is identifying itself to some apps as a phone.

 

[Harfad]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will try to contact Google support (or Huawei support) tomorrow and let you know what they will say, as it is a bit late to do that tonight (it is 11:30 pm here!) In the meantime, I am attaching screenshots of the lock-screens of both devices for your information. The first is the Huawei one, and the second is the Lenovo one. You will notice that at the top left corner of the Huawei one it says: O2 - UK. That is the name of the mobile carrier from whose store I got it from; whereas I bought the Lenovo one from an ordinary store selling computers and other electronic goods.

 

[hallux]

I think that's a separate thing entirely. There's a config file someplace on the device that reports information about it. In that file is an identifier to apps as to if the device is a phone or a tablet. When you go into the Play Store, do you see indications on some apps that they are designed for one device type or another? Usually an app designed for phones will indicate such when you install it on a tablet.

 

[chaospearl]

you may have figured this out already. but for anyone who sees this thread and has the same problem.

this exact thing happens when you change your screen display size to anything but small. it's absolutely INFURIATING because Nougat changed the status and notification icons to be absolutely microscopic. you can make them bigger by increasing the display size in settings but if you do, Chrome kills your tabs and does the "number in a box" behavior described here.

I cannot express how many swear words were spat out when I figured this out. my notification icons are not about half a mm in size because I cannot deal without the normal tab interface. whoever made this change can roast in hell.

 

[Jamebori]

Oh my gosh, THANK YOU!!!!!!! Chaospearl, you are a real MVP!, along with all of those heroes like you!
You saw this post, and even though it was old and kinda dead, you had knowledge of the issue and its solution, and you took the time to make a post to share that helpful information. I was so excited to find this post, because - FINALLY!, yes, THAT is the issue I'm having! And it could easily have been another dead end, unhelpful post that I read, only to not find the answer again.
But, you posted that response, and so my problem was solved!!
THANK YOU!!!!!
By the way, what I've done (and am doing again now) to balance things out is set the display to small (one notch below default) and the text to large (one notch above default). It's not perfect, but it works, and it keeps the tabs tab-y.