How to Permanently Disable Incognito Mode on Android

Private or incognito browsing allows you to surf the web without saving your browsing history, cookies, site data and information entered in forms. This can be useful but also concerning for parents or guardians. Luckily, Android offers ways to restrict and permanently disable incognito mode across various browsers.

Turning Off Incognito Mode in Chrome

Here are a few methods to disable Chrome's incognito mode on Android devices:

Change Chrome Flags

You can prevent incognito mode from working by toggling Chrome flags:

1. Open the Chrome app
2. Type chrome://flags into the address bar and hit enter
3. Search for #enable-incognito-mode
4. Change the drop down from Default to Disabled
5. Relaunch Chrome for changes to take effect

Restrict Incognito Mode in Settings

Alternatively, restrict incognito browsing via Chrome's settings menu:

1. Tap the 3 dot menu in the upper right corner
2. Choose Settings > Privacy > Open tabs incognito
3. Toggle off Open new incognito tab

Set Up Parental Controls

Family Link, Google's parental control app, allows disabling incognito Chrome tabs:

1. Open the Family Link app on the parent device
2. Select your child’s name
3. Tap Manage Settings
4. Choose Account and Security > Allow Incognito Mode
5. Switch off incognito browsing

Using Third Party Apps to Disable Incognito Mode

Here are some highly rated lockdown and parental control apps providing the ability to turn off Android's private browsing mode:

Norton Family Parental Control

Norton Family offers robust web filtering and activity reports. Its premium plan supports locking incognito mode for $49.99 a year covering up to 15 devices.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

This parental assistant blocks incognito tabs across Android and permits setting time limits for app usage. A premium account covers more devices and features.

MMGuardian Parental Control

MMGuardian Parental Control delivers well-rounded monitoring capabilities from site blocking to contacts management. Disable incognito browsing by enabling its stealth mode.

Qoqos Parental Control

Qoqos lets parents view web histories, set time restrictions, and apply keyword filters. Upgrading to premium enables locking incognito mode and tracking SMS messages.

Altering Device Administrator Access

By default, the Android operating system permits activating private browsing across apps and browsers. The following technical workaround can permanently revoke this privilege:

1. Go to Settings > Security & Location
2. Tap Other Security Settings > Device Admin Apps
3. Select the browser or parental control app
4. Tap Deactivate and then OK to confirm
5. Reopen Device Admin Apps and ensure it no longer appears

Now Android will not allow enabling incognito mode for any apps lacking device admin access. However, this solution involves somewhat advanced steps compared to simpler app configurations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Turning Off Incognito Mode Boost Security?

Disabling private browsing reduces the potential for illicit anonymous activity. It also ensures browsing histories can be monitored if desired. For shared devices, limiting incognito use enhances accountability.

What About Browsers Like Firefox?

The above techniques focus on Chrome but generally apply to other Android browsers supporting incognito as well. Check the browser's privacy settings or an associated parental control app.

Can I Disable Incognito on Individual Apps?

Yes, some parental control services allow blacklisting incognito mode for specific apps instead of restricting it device-wide. This helps balance access and oversight.

Will Disabling Incognito Impact Device Performance?

Turning off private browsing should have no significant impact on device speed, battery drain or storage space since it simply alters how sessions get saved locally.