Here's everything to improve in Opera Touch

[misterdoge]

misterdoge last edited by

First, thanks to everybody that worked on Opera Touch, because it has improved a lot since the beginning, it really lacked some key features like private mode, search in page, desktop mode and recently the back button behavior. But it's still far from perfect, and I'll be comparing it with Chrome, that I used for years before it and that is, I think, its biggest competitor.

Here's the list:

• Back button behavior is still not good. To summarize, just copy Chrome's back button behavior, it's more coherent.
  -tapping the back button does not completely remove the tab (when it's opened from an app), in certain cases I still have to close it manually
  -if I close a tab in the browser, then click on a link from another app that opens Opera, then tap on the back button, then go back in Opera, the tab I had previously closed reappears (kinda hard to explain but it reopens a tab I had already closed)
  -when tapping the back button closes the tab and I manually go in Opera, all the other tabs have to reload even if they were already in the RAM

• The tab list is not good: it's not smooth, you don't feel like you're controlling the tab when you tap on it (compared to chrome), and the list of tabs on the computer is a good idea, but it's not very well integrated, I couldn't tell how to improve it, but it just looks weird

• It doesn't save passwords

• Desktop mode doesn't work in all websites, for example Onenote Online (very poorly programmed but I didn't choose to use it and I have to use it everyday), for that particular website desktop mode does nothing and it's very annoying because the mobile website is absolutely horrible to use. (It works in Chrome by the way)

• it's still less optimized than Chrome: it uses more battery and is quickly unloaded from RAM, for example Chrome can stay all day in RAM if I don't fill it during the day, but Opera is unloaded after less than an hour even if I have few apps opened (Oneplus 3 with 6gb of RAM)

• The main page is not very useful, the icons are very big so there's no much space left for text and i end up not using it at all, it would be better to have smaller icons and the full name under it, and also replace "best websites" by something that is more based on history, because I still have Facebook and Amazon in it although I have never been on it for months.

So that's it, if all these issues can be solved, this browser would really be PERFECT. I'd be very grateful if you can work on it, thanks!

[aleksod]

aleksod last edited by aleksod

I would also add OPERA TURBO DATA COMPRESSION!!!1! Please! And not like the one in Opera Mini but more like the one in Opera for Android, i.e. you can leave it on even while connected to WiFi and it would automatically switch the data compression off, as opposed to Opera Mini's behavior when users have to turn it off manually while on WiFi in order to benefit from the faster connection.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Had downloaded this when it was released a while ago (uninstalled it as it was missing too much), and Opera (mobile/PC) has been my go to since Blackberry was still at large.
Love where the app wants to go... very fast, mostly intuitive, different (which is why I use Opera), and was excited to see a new mobile app.
Had recently re-downloaded it this past week, and I still can't switch over to it for full time use from regular Opera Mobile. Big ideas here, but sloppy, rushed implementation.

Listed quirks noticed in order of my findings upon launching.

1. With the address/search field, my keyboard (Gboard) doesn't recognize it's input as being a search/address bar (had tried with others). The enter key works fine to launch, however I have to manually type .com/etc. Not too big of a deal, but being accustomed to Opera Mobile, I keep trying to access the .com and there is none to be found

2. Holding the button to open the functions and access tabs actually slows down the browsing experience. You have now introduced a hold, slide, and release mechanism that is strangely tedious (compared to OM). I get the majority of the focus is on this and flow, but might I suggest just being able to simply click it? Or give the option for gestures? You created the search eyeglass icon within this menu as an option here after all. But no, pressing this button will take you to the non-editable speed dial page/search page (big quirk, that's what makes Opera... Opera).
   I'll offer a few suggestions here.
   Make it clickable.
   Option to customize, and choose where it's located?
   Add back/forward (not in the chromium menu).
   Remove add to flow button in this menu. It's in the tab menu, and next to the address bar. Really overkill with another button.

3. Speed dial. You took away the part that made Opera what it is. It's what is seen when new windows/tabs are created, and it makes it easier when they don't move around based on what sites are used more.

4. The chromium menu next to the address bar? Just use the code you have in Opera Mobile. Don't be lazy. Copy/paste/adjust.

5. Bookmarks... Pretty sure you all saw that thread lol. I personally really don't use it frequently, but I do find things of interest every now and then.

6. Tab menu. Swipe left to remove tab? Feels weird, backwards, but guess it'll grow on me if this became my frequent browser. Real gripe, leaving me there in the menu when there's no tabs?? That's just silly. Take me to the speed dial.

7. Weird jump when the address bar disappears.

8. Side scrolling images/items to the left causes address bar to go crazy.

Aside from other bugs, I'm surprised there hasn't been many improvements in comparison to over a year ago when I had initially downloaded it.
It didn't tank.
But you put the idea before the horse and it got run over by the horse.
I would absolutely revisit and look closely at what your users want or need it is us that you want to satisfy after all. Don't need you guys getting blotted out by the Google giant, but becoming greater.
-cheers

[firipu]

firipu last edited by

Something that pisses me off tremendously is that it's impossible to install an apk through the opera touch download manager page. .zip files also often misbehave.

Opening the file through a separate file manager app launches the install correctly. But from the download manager page everything just goes horribly wrong.

Also, Opera Touch does not play nice with Lastpass. Not sure if this is because of Opera Touch of Lastpass.

[opt]

opt last edited by

1. Flow has no use for me, appreciate if disabling option is available

2. Android intent support seems totally missing e.g. can't open YouTube app

3. Recent/quick share option is welcome (e.g. 2 share buttons, one is the last app, one to open the list)

4. URL suggestion: typing in "reddit nba" should bring up "https://reddit.com/r/nba" instead of suggesting me to google

5. In Private mode, only URL bar is privacy awared, text fields within the webpage do not automatically trigger the private mode in keyboard.

[opt]

opt @opt last edited by

@opt said in Here's everything to improve in Opera Touch:

4. URL suggestion: typing in "reddit nba" should bring up "https://reddit.com/r/nba" instead of suggesting me to google

Regarding pt 4 I think opera needs a better fuzzy search algorithm for url suggestions

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @opt last edited by

@opt It uses the one of the search engine being used as far as I know.

[opt]

opt @leocg last edited by

@leocg for sure

My case is that, I regularly access r/nba

I maybe in the first instance enter " reddit nba" to get there, and so opera touch sent me to Google

However, now when I enter "reddit nba", I expect opera touch to give me https://www.reddit.com/r/nba instead of going to Google link again.

Try in on your phone, you'll know what I mean.

For instance, chrome does it right.

Thx!