Been trying various Chrome "voice search" extensions and haven't been able to find one that works. I've enabled mic access in Opera. Maybe someone knows an Opera Extension, or has successfully used a Chrome extension via Opera's "Install Chrome Extensions" ? Thanks!

@gremlics I so agree with you. It's an insane and utterly time-wasting interruption to workflow. If I want to rename a bookmark, i can do that later. But not once have i ever changed a name in this intrusive forced step. Sometimes I wonder if Opera has any true usability/ UX experts on staff. There are too many examples like this that tends to point to no experts, probably just UI and front end developers.

Google & Chrome can be frustrating at times, but with primary functionality, they've user tested their functions with eye tracking heat maps that show gaps in user expectations from current functional implementations. Opera clearly doesn't user-test other than probably the in-house team.

@maxdule If I have wrongly characterized your response, I apologize. I just don't understand the purpose of questioning another user's desires in using software. This was your comment I was refrering to:

@maxdule said in Sync same Speed Dial on every device:

@neoseo This post is about Speed Dials not Bookmarks, those are synced across devices (even android ones). So you calculus is basically crap.

Or you'are actually telling me that you change speed dials every day? That issue won't be resolved by any feature in the browser bro.

@diezi Thank you, I think it's best I just accept that as the case. I've been in process of trying to switch over to Opera as my primary browser, but keep running into usability problems re workflow efficiency. Maybe I must resign self to use 2 browsers -- Opera for most things (has less of performance lag than Chrome), and Chrome for searches & what not. Thank you.

Hello, I am just a user, not an Opera staffer. Both Chrome and Opera browsers have implemented similar schemes which I personally find awful and unintuitive. Both had previously handled "overflow" extensions in a far more intuitive way. By overflow I mean, to the right of the URL address bar is where we see extension icons. Depending on the width of the address bar and the number of extensions we have, they either all fit to the right of the address bar, or they don't, in which case, the additional extension icons get pushed off into an "overflow area". [Caps] on both browsers, so I will now explain the Current method used for holding the "overfllow extension icons". I am using a dark theme, so if you are using a light theme, it will function the same, it will just look inverted from what I show here:

Opera uses the following icon to denote Extensions :

You will find it used in two places: (1) in the Sidebar vertical toolbar:

and (2) toward the right-end of the address bar:

[Caps] toward the right of the address bar: and you will find that a dropdown menu appears below it. It contains all your extensions, but they have now been divided into "Pinned" and "unpinned" sections.

Opera (and Chrome) expects you to just know intuitively that to make extensions Visible to the right of the address bar, you have to explicitly pin them "to show". If you don't, then they are "unpinned" and only appear in this dropdown. So, be sure to pin the extensions you most actively use.

@maxdule This kind of reply is never helpful. The first rule of User Experience Design, recognized everywhere across the world, is never tell a user their request is stupid or futile or "why would you ever want to do to that?" . It is never helpful. It should be self evident yet it is not, that whenever a user posts about a request, unless it is being done as a troll or to detail a topic, it's because the user finds the requested function helpful to their workflow.

Unfortunately the people who are constantly castigating people on help forums with "why would you want to do that" or "just do it my way, my way is best" are the very ones who will never understand user experience design precepts. Psychologically, it essentially boils down to being extremely judgemental of others, and this is a negative personality trait that is extremely difficult to ever change unless the person chooses to.

@ashiquerai I've lost mine as well. (May 2018). This happens so frequently.
And yet, like most users, we don't understand how Opera engineers or Moderators can't comprehend that their users are not all uninformed or even "stupid". Opera sync messes up all the time, that's the fact. And it's also a bad, confusing interface. Which is a drag because everything else about Opera 52/53 is superb. It is almost a perfect browser.

(1) You look on your browser top-right, see the user icon, click, it's the sync panel, sign in, there's a link to choose what to synchronize. But it never works, it just activates sync without choices. So it's already syncing before you could choose which items to sync.

(2) You click on the grey cog wheel top-right, and come not to SYNC preferences, but to all opera preferences. Totally bad information design. The expectation is to see SYNC prefs, because that's the tool you're on... But fine, you're at overall Opera prefs/settings, and you see "Synchronization"... then under it you see "Advanced Configuration"— but Advanced Configuration is greyed out. So there IS no ability to get to any advanced sync choices. So why confuse people by suggesting that there ARE choices?

(3) Now, where does a user see or know to go to a web interface to see what the server shows? Where is the information within the Sync panel in browser to "See bookmarks on server"? That would be the simplest most logical place to inform the user. But that would make too much sense. So omit it all together. Better, say the Opera engineers. Keep it a mystery. But OK, someone in a forum tells you to go to https://sync.opera.com/web/ ...

(4) This is what I see-- It's not helpful.

It's all unintelligible, designed by an Opera staff who already know the mapped out information design and drill-down as opposed to approaching from the user's unknowing mindset of "where are my bookmarks? where are my speed dials?". If you are at this server page to begin with, it means you've lost something, and that means, if you'e a normal person, you are panicked.

When I see "Speed Dials", I expect to click on that and SEE my speed-dials. And then a simple set of actions like "PUSH SERVER SPEED DIALS TO BROWSER", or "MERGE LOCAL SPEED DIALS WITH SERVER SPEED DIALS".

This very mysterious "Reset your sync data" is terribly unintuitive. What does that mean? (1) Reset your local speed dials and replace them with Server Speed dials? -- or (2) Reset your Server Speed Dials and replace with my current local speed dials. No, Opera engineers, it is not obvious no matter how many times you may push that out to users. Why is it so hard for you to understand that it is inherently confusing? If something is inherently confusing, then the solution is to be clear with what it means. THIS is not being clear:

You can reset your sync data at any time. No data will be lost from your devices.

Do not argue to us that this IS clear. "UX Design 101" precept is that the user is always right. If the user tells you something is not clear, it is, stop pushing your counter-narrative. Fix it to be clear please.

And you know what, the place to tell people "TIP! "Export your bookmarks" as a safeguard against period sync problems" is in the SYNC PANEL on the browser. It's so obvious even a 6 year old could tell you. And yet all you have there is some dumb generic image:

@browzer1
Does the average user really need "smarter news" and Netflix
recommendations? (From the blog). Same with crypto wallet access.

And we know the answer is no. But some of that— personal news— that has got to be a revenue stream for Opera— At first I thought it was going to be the dawning of a new era where users could actually have 100% control on which sources they DID NOT WANT AT ALL... but no, it quickly revealed itself to be pushing entertainment and sports at you, as well as "sources" that sound similar to MOX, which were instant deal-breakers. Very unfortunate because back in the day, Google News gave users granular controls, then, as always, they took them away.

So the idea of Opera perhaps wanting to become a differentiator and finally giving users what they want, they just had to do what they all do— which I have concluded is simply a revenue engine for them. Selling aggregated data of users to better micro-target users. Combine the aggregate web click-stream data of millions of users, plus the data that aggregates for "Personal News", Opera is probably helping to run their whole operation by this kind of scheme. It's not dishonest; I'm sure the TOS spell it all out. It's the fact that instead of getting a GREAT user benefit, like some AI learning tool that adds value to user's prefs, they gave us this junk product.

Which goes directly to your point: Why does SYNC have to starve on the vine with probably zero engineering resources dedicated to improving and updating it, while all these other "shiny object" marketing features like the list you listed are the highest engineering priorities?

I'm just expressing support for your observation: Chrome syncs extensions and themes and everything, and it is so convenient. Why can't Opera keep up? When one thinks of Norway, one thinks of core competence, operating in the interest of bettering mankind vs succumbing to USA-based marketing and consumerism as their guiding lights. Jeez, if OPERA weren't doing so many things right, i wouldn't be bothering to comment. They are SO CLOSE to having the absolute best browser on desktop, and with Opera Touch and Opera Flow, they are miles ahead.

So why can't they get the fundamentals right— like you say— what do users want and need most? SYNC.

Both are Chromium based browsers, but I am unclear if Opera is architected in a way that is less of a resource hog than Chrome, whether in having 20+ tabs open, or when using 10-30 extensions or so.

I am not a programmer so if I have asked this question imperfectly, what I am trying to find out is whether I should expect the same performance hits with Opera desktop browser as I have with Chrome when using 20-30 extensions installed, or if Opera is built differently in such a way as to be less resource intensive?

I want to know this because I have long used Chrome as my primary browser (with lots of extensions) and Opera as my secondary browser (with just 3-5 core extensions).

Certain specific websites I must use work better on Opera than Chrome. Recently though I ran into major problems with Chrome that I have not been able to thoroughly troubleshoot the actual cause/causes-- most notably connectivity interruptions when working in Google Docs. The same docs open in Opera did not experience these long lags and interruptions that would be up to 30 seconds, making use of Chrome no longer viable for me as my primary browser.

I do not know, however, if perhaps the source of my Chrome problems is the fact that I use a variety of extensions that really help my daily workflow. So I began an experiment to use Opera as my primary browser — and began to install those same extensions I was using with Chrome now with Opera.

Some things can be illusory and my initial impressions were that the same overall workload of running Opera + all those extensions was better/faster/ no lag vs the same running Chrome.

But having experienced some lag today using Opera with those extensions makes me wonder if it is actually 6 of 1, half-dozen of another, whereby regardless of which chromium browser I use, the extensions are going to weigh down the performance similarly if not equally.

Thus I am asking so I can rule in/ rule out whether generally speaking I can expect a better performance overall with Opera vs Chrome in these use cases, or if at the end of the day, they behave and perform pretty much equally when it comes to using lots of extensions?

Thank you

I don't understand why shift-click doesn't multi-select items for actions such as DELETE, MOVE, DRAG & DROP. Bookmarks Manager has 2 panes. Left Column there is no form of multi-select? This is 2018. ... and in Right Column, in LIST view, you've got to be kidding me that instead of standard web UX conventions of shift-click, command-click, command marquee-select, you place a tiny check box all way to the right side of the browser.
This is so frustrating given that Opera is otherwise doing everything so right — supporting Chrome Extensions, dark theme, pinned sidebar open, etc. Am I missing something?

I read some threads here from 2018-2019 that said Opera didn't have that capability.

But a lot has evolved in Opera during 2020, so just wanting to know it is now possible to add another user? If not, is there a workaround?!

@redsnapper In 2020, the shift-click multi-select capability is on Opera Browser at least for Macs. I would imagine it is there now for windows as well. Both kinds of multi-select work:
(a) Shift-Click to select a contiguous sequence of bookmarks
(b) A-La-Carte Mult-Select - on Mac this is by holding down the Command key. I imagine it is the Option Key on Windows.

@leocg not trying to prolong this, but I do know that for some users, when they are researching a topic, this is common, they get 20 30 40 tabs open... So the intent in this case is to save all 40 and sync them to my desktop where I can open them all there..

@leocg I did see that after I posted, sorry about that. I saw under advanced search that you can specify which categories to search through, and whether or not to include child folders. What would you recommend as a good way to access that search configuration easily when I am using Opera for Android, and want to limit my search results to just Opera for Android posts? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is to bookmark that advanced search parameter ?

It wasn't clear to me whether that advanced search configuration would be persistent across all future settings ... In which case I would just swipe open that left menu and tap search.. ?

@leocg ahh, thx very much.
What would be your workaround approach? Manually save each tab separately to my flow? Or or is there a way to save a history session or Sync it to my opera account?

I keep finding out how to do this on Opera for web browser, but there is no right click on a tab in Opera for Android. And long pressing on a tab doesn't reveal any menu item to save to speed dial folder.

I have about 40 tabs open, I want to get them on to my desktop computer, I don't want to have to open each tab individually and click on send to my flow. Can someone tell me the solution to this issue specifically on Opera for android? Thanks

I usually use Opera web browser for Forum searching. But I'm on my Android phone right now, I'm at the right category, and I was looking for search somewhere at the top of the page or bottom of the page, so I could find relevant posts without having to write a new topic. What am I missing?

@leocg OK thank you... I found an earlier thread on this issue from 2019 and quite a lot of agreement to change that color or give several alt-options. I read your comment that "this is the color the designers chose".

So no options in flags to modify? I presume not,

Everyone's tastes are different, but I find that maroon or wine color repellant and bothers my eyes. I've googled & searched quite a bit trying to find an add-on that enables a color change. Or select a different theme for Private Windows.

is this one of those "live with it" items where that color selection was hard-wired into Opera for Mac, and no modification is possible?

@gremlics I so agree with you. It's an insane and utterly time-wasting interruption to workflow. If I want to rename a bookmark, i can do that later. But not once have i ever changed a name in this intrusive forced step. Sometimes I wonder if Opera has any true usability/ UX experts on staff. There are too many examples like this that tends to point to no experts, probably just UI and front end developers.

Google & Chrome can be frustrating at times, but with primary functionality, they've user tested their functions with eye tracking heat maps that show gaps in user expectations from current functional implementations. Opera clearly doesn't user-test other than probably the in-house team.