<![CDATA[Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness]]>browser-ng is an experimental web browser for Ubuntu Touch. Rather than using Oxide, it embeds QtWebEngine, an up-to-date Chromium based browser engine. This provides a number of improvements upon the standard browser (improved security and compatibility with Chromium add-ons for example). We're planning on shipping this as the default browser in a future version of Ubuntu Touch, but you can install it on your own 16.04 device by following these instructions.

Note that the packages installed in this process will be removed on each OTA so you will need to repeat the process to use the app again. You will be changing your system image for this process, please be aware that this may have adverse affects. If you experience any adverse effects after following this guide, you can reinstall Ubuntu Touch using the UBports Installer to get back to a clean state.

  1. Download the browser-ng package from UBports Nextcloud. (sha256: 67c8dec479ad49af1cde83328029c11aaa7c9ec7847abcf303a306f0dbcdada2)
  2. Push the package to your device using your preferred method (adb push works great if you're in developer mode, otherwise you can drop the package in your home folder)
  3. Install the package by running this command on your Ubuntu Touch device: pkcon install-local --allow-untrusted [path/to]com.ubports.browserng_0.1_armhf.click
  4. Allow modifications to your system image: sudo mount / -o remount,rw
  5. Install the required qtwebengine package: sudo apt update && sudo apt install qml-module-qtwebengine

You may need to refresh your app scope by pulling down on the home screen, but you should now see "Browser Next" listed under apps. Take it for a spin!

Some issues that I've found in my testing (we'll get a proper repository open for discussion of issues soon):

  • Keyboard avoidance is a bit too extreme. When you tap a text field, almost the entire browser viewport gets out of the way.
  • The name of the app is not translated to all languages, it may show up incorrectly if you're not using en-US.
]]>https://forums.ubports.com/topic/1291/install-browser-ng-for-qtwebengine-goodnessRSS for NodeSat, 09 May 2026 14:51:29 GMTWed, 30 May 2018 17:09:43 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sat, 09 Jun 2018 19:45:19 GMT]]>@ingo Yup, the dependencies are still not in the images unfortunately so it may not survive OTA updates for some. But for me the browser still works and I only had to install the packages once :).

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9594https://forums.ubports.com/post/9594Sat, 09 Jun 2018 19:45:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:14:57 GMT]]>@ingo strange indeed, I still have the new web browser running fine after several updates (on krillin).

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9593https://forums.ubports.com/post/9593Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:14:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:09:22 GMT]]>@advocatux said in Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness:

@zubozrout yes, after the last OTA I have the browser running without reinstalling. Funny.

So it seems everything needed is there and the re-scanning after rebooting catches the app.

Strange, I had to do the apt command again after installing an update on my Fairphone 2.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9592https://forums.ubports.com/post/9592Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:09:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:22:41 GMT]]>@unisuperbox said in Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install qml-module-qtwebengine

got it on my pro5
Subject to testing
Couldn't get it to install,before I increased my cache size, ( curious if that is what made the difference,or is it something you guys have changed since my last attempt ? )

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9567https://forums.ubports.com/post/9567Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:22:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:41:47 GMT]]>Brute-forced, I give up lol

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9565https://forums.ubports.com/post/9565Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:41:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:04:08 GMT]]>@flohack

You cannot do this alone

How dare you πŸ˜‰

Of course I can.

cd ~/.cache/url-dispatcher 
sqlite3 urls-1.db
.tables
.headers on
select * from configfiles;
delete from configfiles where name='the/one/for/the/old/browser';

Maybe I cannot go back, because I didn't take a backup, but that's another story.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9564https://forums.ubports.com/post/9564Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:04:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Wed, 06 Jun 2018 10:21:26 GMT]]>@doniks You cannot do this alone, it will be later registered as proper URL handler. Good point, currently UT misses user selectable default handlers πŸ™‚

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9511https://forums.ubports.com/post/9511Wed, 06 Jun 2018 10:21:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Wed, 06 Jun 2018 05:51:11 GMT]]>How do I make it default browser?? when an app wants To launch one?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9502https://forums.ubports.com/post/9502Wed, 06 Jun 2018 05:51:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:38:08 GMT]]>@tomoqv Probably we need to test it, so yes. But no ETA right now. I dont even know the internals ob the web app container. But in theory it must be easy πŸ˜‰

BR

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9481https://forums.ubports.com/post/9481Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:38:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:51:22 GMT]]>@flohack
Any chance it will be possible to create web apps based on Browser Next before OTA-5?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9476https://forums.ubports.com/post/9476Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:51:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:10:17 GMT]]>@tomoqv Good to hear. Basically this is work in progress, so expect updates now and then. Earliest possible release is OTA-5.

BR

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9471https://forums.ubports.com/post/9471Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:10:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:09:33 GMT]]>Home Assistant works with Browser Next, horray! However, I still get browser not supported by Google+.
There are some other issues too, such as that the browser appears to have no memory. I can set a bookmark in one session, but as soon as I restart the browser it is gone. Same with browsing history, it always opens with a new window and only the DuckDuckGo search tab open.
Also, while still mobile friendly, the UI is tinier than on the default web browser. Not a huge problem and sometimes an advantage I guess.

I will post some issues on github as I test it further.

Now, all I need is a way to utilize Browser Next in webapps and I will be all set.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9470https://forums.ubports.com/post/9470Tue, 05 Jun 2018 08:09:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:04:27 GMT]]>@flohack, Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness

@doniks Plz make issue tickets here: https://github.com/ubports/browser-ng/issues

BR

done

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9431https://forums.ubports.com/post/9431Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:04:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Mon, 04 Jun 2018 15:02:49 GMT]]>Hi everybody.., I've tried the new browser and itΕ› working in general well...For any reason I can't to view netflish vids...and other problem it's with the keyboard dimension, full all screen.

Good job guys.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9421https://forums.ubports.com/post/9421Mon, 04 Jun 2018 15:02:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Mon, 04 Jun 2018 08:28:51 GMT]]>@doniks Plz make issue tickets here: https://github.com/ubports/browser-ng/issues

BR

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9401https://forums.ubports.com/post/9401Mon, 04 Jun 2018 08:28:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Mon, 04 Jun 2018 08:12:20 GMT]]>@zubozrout yes, after the last OTA I have the browser running without reinstalling. Funny.

So it seems everything needed is there and the re-scanning after rebooting catches the app.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9400https://forums.ubports.com/post/9400Mon, 04 Jun 2018 08:12:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:35:38 GMT]]>@UniSuperBox
3. seem to be unable to set a bookmark
4. unable to search from URL bar

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9397https://forums.ubports.com/post/9397Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:35:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:16:22 GMT]]>@zubozrout for me the same. I do some OTA's and the browser is still working without reinstall the deb packages.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9396https://forums.ubports.com/post/9396Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:16:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:36:14 GMT]]>@hummlbach
Hey Thanks ,I shall do some studying.
I hope someone has figured a way to work this into the upgrade from 15.04 to 16.04 on the Pro 5

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9389https://forums.ubports.com/post/9389Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:36:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:06:12 GMT]]>@marathon2422 Mhmm you could try to enlarge your root partition a bit by cloning this to your device: https://github.com/timsueberkrueb/plasma-phone-dev-setup. If I remember it right you have to adjust the size you want your root partition to have afterwards in usr/bin/resize-root-partition and execute it. Now the usual disclaimer should follow... πŸ˜‰ Thanks to @TimSueberkrueb for having this on his git account!

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9387https://forums.ubports.com/post/9387Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:06:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:04:37 GMT]]>@advocatux Funny. I had two OTA updates since I first installed the browser and it still works. That is click is obviously still there but I didn't have to reinstall the deb packages either. So maybe those dependencies landed in the system base already? ( haven't checked though)

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9386https://forums.ubports.com/post/9386Sun, 03 Jun 2018 22:04:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 21:15:14 GMT]]>@doniks

no.
i get
E: You don`t have enough free space in /var/cache/apt/archives/.

this is on my m10 fhd an original ubuntu, try on my pro 5 now.

Pro5 didn`t work ,the download shows in the Browser Downloads but not in the phablet Downloads
bit late on Sunday for me now ..later

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9372https://forums.ubports.com/post/9372Sun, 03 Jun 2018 21:15:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 20:29:43 GMT]]>@doniks I will give it a try, I am having fun downloading it to the downloads folder,then when i try to install its not there ?

i have been using UT tweak tool, damn clever stuff

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9371https://forums.ubports.com/post/9371Sun, 03 Jun 2018 20:29:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Install browser-ng for QtWebEngine goodness on Sun, 03 Jun 2018 18:55:57 GMT]]>@doniks I'll try it later, the new OTA removed the browser as expected.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/9362https://forums.ubports.com/post/9362Sun, 03 Jun 2018 18:55:57 GMT