Chrome for iOS’ Incognito Mode Isn’t Working, Leaving Your Naughty Searches Visible in Regular Windows

Just a friendly warning here, guys. If you use Google’s Chrome app on iOS 7, you might want to pay attention. The current version of the app has a bug that pretty much renders Incognito mode use...
Chrome for iOS’ Incognito Mode Isn’t Working, Leaving Your Naughty Searches Visible in Regular Windows
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Just a friendly warning here, guys. If you use Google’s Chrome app on iOS 7, you might want to pay attention.

    The current version of the app has a bug that pretty much renders Incognito mode useless. The Parall.ax blog found that searches you perform in an incognito window are showing up in your non-incognito mode search suggestions.

    I’ve independently tested this an found it to be true. Searches performed in a regular window’s omnibar do not seem to recall incognito mode searches, but if you go to google.com and being typing your query, your incognito mode search will appear.

    Google knows this problem exists, and the blame it on a “platform limitation”:

    On Chrome for iOS, due to platform limitation regular and incognito* tabs share HTML5 local storage, which is typically used by sites to store files on your device (client-side caching) or to provide offline functionality. This means the same sites can always access their data in this storage in both regular and incognito* tabs. Incognito* tabs will still keep browsing history and cookies separate from regular tabs, which are cleared once those tabs are closed.

    Google did push an update to the app on Wednesday for “stability and security” issues, but it doesn’t seem to have addressed this bug.

    So, until Google fixes this, you may want to clear your history after all those “big boobs” searches you make on your iPhone. Incognito mode will not protect you.

    [Parall.ax via Gizmodo]

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