ONEPLUS
How to stop an app opening links on a OnePlus (OxygenOS 16)
In short
Open the app's App info and tap Open by default. Under Choose how to open web links for this app, tap In your browser. Links then open in your browser instead of the app.
5 of 5 steps show a real screenshot from our Nord 5. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Open App info
In Settings, Apps, open the app and tap Open by default. Chrome's row said Default options partially set.
- 2
Check the links
YouTube had In the app selected and 6 verified links.
- 3
Tap In your browser
The verified links list disappears. YouTube links now open in the browser.
- 4
To undo, tap In the app
The verified links came back on ours.
- 5
Or clear its defaults
Further down, Clear default preferences resets the app's other defaults. Chrome's page on ours had it.
If you do not see this option
- Default options partially set? That was Chrome's App info on ours: some activities open in it by default. Clear default preferences resets them.
- Browser apps? Chrome's own page had 0 verified links, so there is nothing to stop.
If this does not work
- Still opens in the app? Check the app itself has no link setting.
- Wrong browser opens? Change default apps.
- Link opens in a different app? Several apps can claim the same kind of link, for example two shopping or social apps. Repeat the steps for each app that opens it, not only the one you expected.
- Link opens inside the app you tapped it in? Some apps, such as chat or social apps, open links in their own built-in viewer instead of handing them to the phone. That is a setting inside that app, not something Open by default controls.
- Asked which app to use every time? Google says that after you clear an app's default preferences, the phone asks which app to use the next time you do that action. Pick one and choose to use it always if you want the question to stop.
Good to know
Change default apps on a OnePlus.
After the change, links to that app's website open in your browser, where you may need to sign in again to the site because the browser and the app keep separate logins. Nothing in the app itself is deleted: your account, downloads and settings in the app stay the same, and you can still open the app from its icon. Some sites show a banner inviting you to open the app instead; ignoring it keeps you in the browser.
To go back, open Open by default again and tap In the app, as in the last step. If you are setting up which apps handle things in general, such as the browser, phone and messages, see change default apps on a OnePlus. The OxygenOS 14 manual recommends keeping the system defaults for core apps such as Phone, Messages and Browser unless you have a reason to change them.
About this guide
- Device
- Android
- Shown on
- OnePlus Nord 5 (CPH2709), OxygenOS 16.0.5.1201, Android 16
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Apps › App info › Open by default
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 5 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
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