It is normal that on Android we accumulate several hundred installed applications over the years, something that, in addition to harming the performance of our device, makes the task of installing it more complicated. choose an app when we need to open a certain file.
Luckily, in Google’s operating system there are default applications, a system through which file formats and links are associated with specific applications that can open them. Even so, sometimes it gets tedious reset this settingbut it won’t be with this hidden adjustment that we show you today.
My PDF files won’t open with Adobe or Chrome
It is not at all unusual for us to download a file from the Internet and when we try to open it we are not able to do so. Or on the contrary, it opens but not with the application we want to do it. That’s when it starts to be a real headache, but don’t fear, there is a solution.
The action of “Always” is the one that begins to wreak havoc in the long run
As you probably know, when we open a file and it is the first time we work with that extension (or format), the system will ask us with which application we want to open it. The well-known “Only once” button appears there, in addition to the “Always” button.
The problem is that if on any occasion, we click on “Always”, that extension or link is associated with the chosen application. From that moment on, whenever we try to open a file with a known extension (it already is because we said which app it is opened with), the application in question will be executed.
How can we change this behavior? Let’s imagine that we are talking about a digital document in PDF format. Google Chrome, the most popular browser, is capable of displaying them and that is why we chose it. However, we have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader, and now we cannot open them with it.
Well, first of all, and if we don’t want to touch the settings, we can read PDFs with Adobe using its own file explorer. The same applies to other applications. However, if our desire is to change this file-app association, we will go to the android settings.
Change the default values of one app, or all of them
For remove default values from an app, which we should not confuse with deleting the data of an application, we will go to Settings > Applications, and from the list we will select the app that already has the setting saved. In the application tab, we must look for “Open by default”, tapping on this setting.
On the next screen we will see what links or file extensions are associated with this application. Additionally, we have the “Open compatible links” switch that we can disable so that these links do not open in the app. In a radical way, we will click on “Delete default preferences” to eliminate all links with files.
Although this method is simple and valid, when we accumulate many applications and links and file formats associated with them, the task of going one by one becomes more complicated. There is no problem with it, but there is a reset option that does it automatically for us.
If we go to Settings > System > Recovery Options, we will see the well-known Android formatting under the “Return to factory state” action, but that is not what interests us. On the other hand, we will like the effect of “Recover application settings”, which will recover all the app preferences in relation to:
- Apps that we have disabled
- Notifications disabled
- Default apps for actions: what we’re really interested in.
- Background restrictions: applications that we have prohibited from operating secretly.
- Permission restrictions: If we have denied permissions to certain apps, they are reset to factory settings.
- Battery usage settings: If any app is set to restrict its battery usage behavior, it will also return to its natural state.
Goodbye to problems with certain file formats
When the process is finished, we will have the app preferences as if we had released a mobile. Thus, we avoid going one by one, although along the way we may take other configurations that we had made.
Be that as it may, these types of Android settings are appreciated. We have reached such complexity level In the operating system it is difficult to find some tools, but there are some.
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