Android ruined link handling years ago. Here’s how I fixed it with a free app

I get plenty of WhatsApp messages from friends and family every day, many of which are links to other websites, Reddit threads, Instagram Reels, or YouTube videos. Tapping these links opens them directly in their native apps — except for Instagram Reels links, which open in the default browser because I don’t have the Instagram app on my phone.

Although I’m fine with this most of the time, it’s not a perfect system. I don’t always want to open links in the native app, since that can influence my algorithm and surface similar content I may not want to see. For the longest time, I relied on a workaround to navigate this problem. It involved copying the link I received in WhatsApp and opening it in a browser. It was just as clunky as it sounds.