How many of you depend on your Android smartphone to run your life? Aside from running the useful apps we install on our phones, we also constantly search the world wide web for information whenever we need to. Our mobile acts as a computer, and it fits snugly in our pocket, making it the one thing we never forget when we leave home in the morning.
How Do You Activate JavaScript on an Android Device?
If you haven’t changed any settings on your phone related to JavaScript (by accident or otherwise), it should run without any issue. How do you know if a website’s JavaScript code isn’t running as it should? You’ll be able to tell, mainly because the website won’t load properly. Some websites will also display a message saying something like, “Please enable JavaScript to be able to use this site.”
Don’t panic just yet. Enabling JavaScript in a browser simply takes a few steps. As a general rule, regardless of your favorite Android HTML viewer, enable JavaScript by accessing its settings and searching for the JavaScript option.
If you are using Google Chrome:
- Launch the app.
- Head over to your Settings menu.
- Scroll down to Site settings under the Advanced portion.
- Once there, locate JavaScript and click on it.
- Here, you’ll have the option of allowing sites to run JavaScript. Turn this on and restart your browser.
Alternatively, if you would like it enabled in Firefox:
- Launch the app.
- Type in about:config in the awesome bar.
- When the page loads, enter “jav” in the search box.
- This will load all the configuration options containing this search string.
- If the value for javascript.enabled is equal to false, click the Reset button to change it to true.
- Once you do this, reload your Firefox browser.
If you perform your browsing in an Opera:
- Launch the app.
- Head on to Easy Setup, which is where you’ll find all your settings.
- Find the link that says Go to browser settings and select it.
- A Settings tab will appear. In the search bar, enter “javascript” and wait for the results to load.
- Once they do, find Site Settings and click it.
- Under this section, find the part labeled JavaScript. This is where you can change your JavaScript settings. Toggle the Allowed (recommended) option to switch it on.
What Does JavaScript Do?
Whenever you run an app or use a browser on your smartphone, JavaScript is at work on the backend. Take filling in a web form, for example. Imagine selecting the United States as your country in a dropdown menu and then moving on to the state selection. Obviously, you won’t bother to scroll through all the states in the world. Who has the time for that? The form is smart enough to filter the data and show you what’s relevant. Thank JavaScript for that!
JavaScript is a scripting language that makes web pages come alive. Thanks to it, information doesn’t have to take the form of boring static content. You can now enjoy an interactive experience with animated graphics.
When your mouse hovers over certain content and something else appears, that’s JavaScript in action. Try hovering over a link on a Wikipedia page. What happens? You’ll see a brief snippet related to the text. Now, isn’t that neat and convenient?
Happy Browsing!
It doesn’t matter which your favorite Android browser is. Whether you’re on Chrome, Firefox, or Opera, a website with JavaScript should run like clockwork. It’s what enables you to watch videos or load maps that guide you to your favorite restaurants and clothing outlets.
There isn’t any tangible benefit to disabling JavaScript. Most of the websites you visit require it, and you’ll have a better browsing experience with it enabled!