Updated at: Mar 24, 2022
The modern internet landscape and the technologies we use online have changed significantly in the last few years. One of the major and interesting changes is that JavaScript has become more and more important for websites to function.
JavaScript can't be disabled on Chrome Mobile
The Chrome developers have decided that JavaScript is important enough on the modern web to always keep it enabled on mobile devices. As such, they have removed the ability to disable JavaScript on mobile devices.
This will undoubtably remove issues with users who have disabled JavaScript without meaning to and have thus encountered problems online.
If you are concerned about advertising or companies tracking your behaviour online, you can investigate Chrome extensions to help you preserve your privacy or switch to a different web browser.
In the beginning...
It used to be that JavaScript would provide little bits of extra functionality to websites; maybe navigation menus that changed color when you hovered over each item, or a scrolling news ticker. Then later, JavaScript started to be used to update whole parts of the websites you visited without refreshing the whole page.
The dark side of JavaScript
JavaScript could also be used to track your activity online, or to make annoying, obnoxious and in some cases even dangerous websites, and so some people would choose to disable JavaScript for some or all websites they visited, to remove those "extra" features but still use the underlying website.
Modern JavaScript
However now, JavaScript is used on some websites as a base mechanism to display the entire website. Without JavaScript some sites won't work at all.
If a YouTube video, Facebook game, or other media isn't working, try the steps below to fix it. These steps can help for: Videos and games sometimes need the latest version of Chrome. Some media needs JavaScript. Your Internet network could be causing problems with the video or game.Step 1: Update Chrome
Step 2: Turn on
JavaScript
Step 3: Reset your
Internet connection
- Turn off your Android phone or tablet.
- Unplug your modem. If your wireless router is a separate device, unplug it too.
- Wait for about one minute.
- Plug in your modem and wait until all the lights have stopped blinking. If your wireless router is a separate device, plug it back in and wait until all the lights have stopped blinking.
- Turn on your Android phone or tablet.
- Go back to the site with the video or game. Tap More Reload .
Step 4: Check your cache and cookies
Some video or game issues are caused by something saved in your browser data.
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app .
- To the right of the address bar, tap More
New Incognito tab.
- In the Incognito tab, go to the site with the video or game.
If the video or game doesn't work, clear your browsing data. Clearing your browsing data will erase some of your settings for websites. Learn more about clearing your browsing data.
- To the right of the address bar, tap More
Settings.
- Tap Privacy and security Clear browsing data.
- Choose a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select Cookies and site data and Cached images and files. Deselect any other types of information you don't want to remove.
- Tap Clear data.
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