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Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

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Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#1

Post by princevegeta89 »

This annoying UX issue has been existing for a few years now; why does Google do nothing about it?

I know they're mining data from Google Accounts and get more value if I am logged in. However the UX aspect of it seems to be horrendous. Two scenarios that bother me:

- I link my account to Chrome. If I unlink my account, and simply login to Gmail in the future, it automatically links the account back to Chrome

- I link my account X to Chrome. Later, I sign into another account Y. When I am done with Y, I logout from my Gmail which has "Y", this automatically signs me out of X, and instantly unlinks X. Such an annoying UX.

Is it time to say goodbye to Chrome in favor of Brave, Vivaldi, etc. ?

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#2

Post by ggm »

Google Chrome supports "people" as an identity, a set of discrete logged in or not logged in runtime instances. I run three all the time: me@gmail, me@personaldomain and me@work.

The cost is pane switching. The upside is, having chrome logged in means I get persisting clean history when I want it.

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#3

Post by princevegeta89 »

ggm wrote: post #2

Google Chrome supports "people" as an identity, a set of discrete logged in or not logged in runtime instances. I run three all the time: me@gmail, me@personaldomain and me@work. The cost is pane switching. The upside is, having chrome logged in means I get persisting clean history when I want it.

Not sure I follow fully. I agree with the clean history but what if, as a user, I have multiple Google accounts and I simply login to my other accounts from time to time to check on things? Google "adds" that other account, and the process of removing it is really confusing. I don't recall doing it successfully without logging out first.

This seems to be a very common use case among my friends as well - they all have at least 3 Google accounts out of which they only use one account for chrome linking.

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#4

Post by bokchoi »

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#5

Post by princevegeta89 »

bokchoi wrote: post #4

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

This is great. Is there any other browser that supports this sort of isolation as well? Not saying I can't use Firefox, but just wanted to know!

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#6

Post by quesera »

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this!"

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/henny-youngman-doctor-it...

In all seriousness, I recommend a browser that takes privacy seriously. It's a spectrum -- but for me, Firefox is the right answer.

Compartmentalization via containers and/or profiles (and content filtering with uBlock Origin) is the only way to browse the modern web.

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#7

Post by abstract_put »

bokchoi wrote: post #4

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

I started using this, but my impression of the usability is poor. E.g. I use GitHub both personally and for work, on the one hand containers are awesome because it handles the "staying logged in" really well, but on the other hand opening tabs and links is a nightmare that ends up with me duplicating every tab in the right container. I'd love it if I could say "this window is my work window, all tabs should open in work".

Have you found any way to deal with that?

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#8

Post by quesera »

abstract_put wrote: post #7
bokchoi wrote: post #4

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

I started using this, but my impression of the usability is poor. E.g. I use GitHub both personally and for work, on the one hand containers are awesome because it handles the "staying logged in" really well, but on the other hand opening tabs and links is a nightmare that ends up with me duplicating every tab in the right container. I'd love it if I could say "this window is my work window, all tabs should open in w…

Firefox profiles is an option, if you prefer to split accounts into different windows.

I use Firefox container tabs (for GitHub specifically) instead. It's lighter-weight and the UI is better. Container tabs are color-coded, so the different accounts are easy to distinguish.

Or you could use container tabs in multiple Firefox windows under a single Firefox profile.

Re: Logging into Gmail on Chrome links my Google Account to the browser

#9

Post by wartron »

princevegeta89 wrote: post #5
bokchoi wrote: post #4

I use Firefox containers with a work and a personal container. Each container can stay logged into separate google accounts, github accounts, etc. and keep them separated. It works pretty well. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

This is great. Is there any other browser that supports this sort of isolation as well? Not saying I can't use Firefox, but just wanted to know!

This might not be the answer your looking for, but i do this with just the chrome profile-directory command line flag to have a separate chrome for personal, work, and sometimes one for testing or contract work.

The only downside or issue i've run into is when some application wants to use some web login and it just launched the default browser. sometimes copy and pasting the url into the browser with the profile i want to use works, sometimes not.

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