How to Change Chrome's User Agent on Android Without a PC (2026 Guide)

Jeremy Onver — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:58:21 +0000

Spoof your browser identity on any rooted Android device — Samsung Galaxy S25, Pixel 9, Xiaomi 15 and more — in under a minute.

If you've ever needed Chrome to identify itself as a desktop browser, a different phone, or even Googlebot, you've probably hit a wall on Android. Unlike desktop Chrome where you can open DevTools and switch user agents instantly, Android gives you no built-in way to do it.

This guide covers the easiest method for rooted Android devices in 2025 — a free tool called UA Changer Chrome that handles everything automatically, including surviving reboots.

What Is a User Agent and Why Change It?

Every time your browser loads a page, it sends a short string of text identifying itself: the browser name, version, operating system, and device. This is the user agent (UA).

Websites use this string to decide what content to serve you. Change it, and you change how a website sees your device entirely.

Common reasons to change your Android Chrome user agent:

Access desktop versions of sites that force-redirect mobile users to stripped-down pages
Test how a website renders on a specific device without owning that device
Bypass device restrictions on certain streaming or banking apps
Check how Googlebot sees your pages by spoofing the Googlebot UA
Privacy — prevent sites from fingerprinting your exact device model
Web scraping and automation — match a specific Chrome build's UA string

The Problem with Other Methods

The most common suggestion online is to use Chrome DevTools via USB debugging. It works, but it resets the moment you close DevTools or disconnect your cable. Every session, every app restart — gone.

Browser extensions don't exist on Android Chrome. Third-party browsers like Firefox let you install UA-switching add-ons, but you're no longer using Chrome itself, which defeats the purpose if you need the Chrome engine specifically.

The only persistent method on Android is writing directly to Chrome's command-line flags file — which requires root access.

UA Changer Chrome — The Permanent Solution

UA Changer Chrome is a Magisk module paired with a companion app. It writes Chrome's --user-agent flag at boot time, so your chosen UA stays active across reboots, Chrome updates, and app restarts.

v5.0 ships with 451 presets covering 118 devices across 9 manufacturers.

Requirements

Rooted Android device (Android 8.0 or higher)
Magisk 24.0 or higher
Chrome (stable, beta, dev, or canary)

Installation

Step 1 — Install the Magisk Module

Download UAChangerChrome-module.zip from the GitHub releases page.

Open Magisk → Modules → Install from ZIP → select the file → reboot your device.

Step 2 — Install the Companion App

Download UAChangerChrome.apk from the same releases page and install it (you may need to allow installs from unknown sources).

Step 3 — Apply Your First User Agent

Open the app and grant root permission when prompted
Check that ROOT ✓ and Chrome ✓ indicators are both green
Browse the preset list or use the filters to find your target
Tap a preset — the UA string fills the input field automatically
Tap APPLY — Chrome closes and reopens with the new UA active

Verify it worked: Open https://httpbin.org/user-agent in Chrome. You'll see exactly what UA string Chrome is now sending.

451 Presets — What's Available

Every preset in v5.0 comes in four Chrome versions: 145, 146, 147, and 148. So if you need to match not just the device but the exact Chrome build, you're covered.

Samsung (205 presets)

The largest category by a wide margin, covering the full current lineup:

Galaxy S25 series: Ultra, Plus, Edge, standard — Android 15 and Android 16
Galaxy S24 series: Ultra, Plus, FE, standard — Android 14
Galaxy S23 series: Ultra, Plus, FE, standard — Android 13
Galaxy Z Fold 6 and 7, Z Flip 6 and 7 — including Android 16 builds
Galaxy A series: A56, A55, A36, A35, A26, A25, A16, A15, A06, A05s
Galaxy M series: M55, M35, M15 — the mid-range 5G lineup often missed by other tools
Galaxy Tab S9 and S10 full lineup plus Tab A9

Google Pixel (64 presets)

Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9, Pixel 9a (Android 16), Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 8a, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a

Xiaomi, POCO, Redmi (60 presets)

Xiaomi 15 Ultra, 15 Pro, 15, 14 Ultra, 14, Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, Xiaomi Pad 7, Redmi Note 14 Pro+, 14 Pro, 14, Note 13 Pro, POCO F7 Pro, F7, X7 Pro, X7

OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, Huawei (80 presets combined)

OnePlus 13, 13R, 12, Nord 4, Ace 5 Pro · OPPO Find X8 Pro, Find X8, Reno13 Pro, Reno13 · vivo X200 Ultra, X200 Pro, X200, V40 Pro · Huawei Mate 70 Pro, Mate 60 Pro, P60 Pro

iOS and iPad (32 presets)

iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 16, 15 Pro Max, 15, 14 Pro Max — both Safari and Chrome UA strings. iPad Pro 13" M4, iPad Pro 11" M4, iPad Air M2, iPad mini A17 Pro.

Bot presets (2)

Googlebot and Bingbot — useful for SEO testing and checking how search crawler sees your pages.

The Filter System

With 451 presets, finding the right one without filters would be painful. v5.0 has four independent filter rows that work together:

Filter	Options
Type	Android · iOS · Tablet · Bot
Manufacturer	Samsung · Pixel · Xiaomi · OnePlus · OPPO · vivo · Huawei · Apple
Android version	Android 16 · 15 · 14 · 13
Chrome version	Chrome 148 · 147 · 146 · 145

Want every Samsung device running Android 16 with Chrome 148? Two taps. The live search bar also filters by device name or UA string directly.

Reboots and Persistence

This is where UA Changer Chrome differs from every other approach. When you apply a UA, the app saves it to a config file. A Magisk service script reads that file at every boot and re-applies the flag before Chrome starts.

Practical result: switch your UA once, it stays that way until you change it manually — through Chrome updates, device restarts, everything.

To reset back to Chrome's default UA, tap RESET in the app. Chrome returns to its native user agent string immediately.

Supported Chrome Packages

The app detects and works with all Chrome variants automatically:

Chrome Stable (com.android.chrome)
Chrome Beta, Dev, Canary
Samsung Internet
Huawei Browser

Android 16 Support

Android 16 launched in 2025, and v5.0 is one of the first UA tools to include presets for it. If you're running Android 16 on a Pixel 9a, Galaxy S25 Ultra, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the correct presets are in the list.

Who Is This For?

Mobile web developers who need to test how a specific device+Chrome combination renders their site without owning every device.

SEO professionals who want to verify how Googlebot sees a page from an Android perspective, or check mobile rendering for specific device classes.

Power users who are tired of sites detecting their Samsung Galaxy and serving a degraded experience when the same content works fine on a Pixel.

Privacy-conscious users who don't want every site they visit to fingerprint their exact device model from the UA string.

Download

The APK and Magisk module are available free on GitHub:

👉 github.com/enployer/android-chrome-user-agent-changer/releases/tag/v5.0

Updates and support: t.me/enployer

Tags: android · chrome · user agent · magisk · root android · mobile web development · samsung galaxy · android 16 · user agent changer · browser spoofing android

DEV Community: Jeremy Onver

How to Change Chrome's User Agent on Android Without a PC (2026 Guide)

What Is a User Agent and Why Change It?

The Problem with Other Methods

UA Changer Chrome — The Permanent Solution

Requirements

Installation

Step 1 — Install the Magisk Module

Step 2 — Install the Companion App

Step 3 — Apply Your First User Agent

451 Presets — What's Available

Samsung (205 presets)

Google Pixel (64 presets)

Xiaomi, POCO, Redmi (60 presets)

OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, Huawei (80 presets combined)

iOS and iPad (32 presets)

Bot presets (2)

The Filter System

Reboots and Persistence

Supported Chrome Packages

Android 16 Support

Who Is This For?

Download