I'm a Kubuntu user who really appreciates Flow Browser's design philosophy and sees great potential in this project. During daily use on Linux (installed via the official .deb package), I've encountered several areas that could be improved. Below are my feature suggestions and bug reports, hoping to help make Flow Browser even better.
Environment
OS: Kubuntu (KDE Plasma)
Install method: .deb package
Flow Browser version: 0.12.0
Feature Requests
- Allow more pinned tabs (currently limited to 2)
Currently, the top bar only allows 2 pinned tabs. I'd like to be able to pin 3 or 4 (or more) tabs, similar to Arc Browser. Ideally, the maximum number of pinned tabs should be configurable in settings so users can adjust it to their preference.
2. Custom search engines
In Settings, the search engine configuration field appears as a placeholder – users cannot actually add or modify search engines. Please implement custom search engine support, allowing users to add DuckDuckGo, Startpage, or any other search engine of their choice.
3. Extension icons displayed as a grid (not a vertical list)
Currently, extension icons are shown in a vertical list in the toolbar. I'd prefer them to be displayed as a grid of small square icons (like in Arc Browser), which saves space and looks cleaner.
4. Native title bar support for KDE (and other Linux DEs)
Flow Browser removes the system-native title bar. Please add an option to use the native KDE title bar (or at least provide a toggle) so that the browser integrates better with the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
5. Search bar open/close animation
The search bar currently appears instantly without any transition. Adding a fade-in/fade-out animation would make the interaction feel smoother and more polished.
6. Restore access to chrome://settings and other native Chromium pages
Access to chrome://settings is currently blocked. While I understand the desire for a unified UI, sometimes users need to tweak lower‑level Chromium settings. Please consider restoring access to these pages, or at least provide a gateway for advanced settings.
7. Color Palette / Theme customization
Add a color palette feature similar to Arc Browser, allowing users to freely customize the browser's theme colors for a more personalized visual experience.
8. More UI customization options
The current customization options are limited. Please consider adding:
Topbar/Sidebar position toggle – let users choose whether to place the tab bar at the top or on the side.
More flexible appearance settings (e.g., new tab page layout, accent colors, etc.).
- Full extension context menu support (right‑click on webpage)
While v0.12.0 fixed the issue of right‑clicking the extension icon, many extensions also add options to the webpage right‑click context menu. These options currently do not appear or are not fully supported. Please ensure full compatibility with extension context menus, matching the experience of Chrome/Arc.
Bug Reports
- Setup wizard crashes after completion
After completing the first‑run setup wizard, the browser freezes/crashes and must be force‑killed before restarting. Although this was claimed to be fixed in v0.11.0, I still experience this on the latest .deb version. Please verify and ensure the fix works reliably.
2. Custom search engine setting is non‑functional (placeholder only)
As mentioned above, the search engine setting is just a placeholder and cannot be modified – this is a functional bug that prevents users from using their preferred search engine.
Overall Feedback
The Linux version currently feels much less polished compared to the macOS version. I hope the development team can pay more attention to Linux user experience and invest more effort into stability and feature completeness on this platform. Flow Browser has a bright future, and I'm looking forward to seeing it improve!
Thank you for your great work!
I'm a Kubuntu user who really appreciates Flow Browser's design philosophy and sees great potential in this project. During daily use on Linux (installed via the official .deb package), I've encountered several areas that could be improved. Below are my feature suggestions and bug reports, hoping to help make Flow Browser even better.
Environment
Feature Requests
Currently, the top bar only allows 2 pinned tabs. I'd like to be able to pin 3 or 4 (or more) tabs, similar to Arc Browser. Ideally, the maximum number of pinned tabs should be configurable in settings so users can adjust it to their preference.
2. Custom search engines
In Settings, the search engine configuration field appears as a placeholder – users cannot actually add or modify search engines. Please implement custom search engine support, allowing users to add DuckDuckGo, Startpage, or any other search engine of their choice.
3. Extension icons displayed as a grid (not a vertical list)
Currently, extension icons are shown in a vertical list in the toolbar. I'd prefer them to be displayed as a grid of small square icons (like in Arc Browser), which saves space and looks cleaner.
4. Native title bar support for KDE (and other Linux DEs)
Flow Browser removes the system-native title bar. Please add an option to use the native KDE title bar (or at least provide a toggle) so that the browser integrates better with the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
5. Search bar open/close animation
The search bar currently appears instantly without any transition. Adding a fade-in/fade-out animation would make the interaction feel smoother and more polished.
6. Restore access to chrome://settings and other native Chromium pages
Access to chrome://settings is currently blocked. While I understand the desire for a unified UI, sometimes users need to tweak lower‑level Chromium settings. Please consider restoring access to these pages, or at least provide a gateway for advanced settings.
7. Color Palette / Theme customization
Add a color palette feature similar to Arc Browser, allowing users to freely customize the browser's theme colors for a more personalized visual experience.
8. More UI customization options
The current customization options are limited. Please consider adding:
While v0.12.0 fixed the issue of right‑clicking the extension icon, many extensions also add options to the webpage right‑click context menu. These options currently do not appear or are not fully supported. Please ensure full compatibility with extension context menus, matching the experience of Chrome/Arc.
Bug Reports
After completing the first‑run setup wizard, the browser freezes/crashes and must be force‑killed before restarting. Although this was claimed to be fixed in v0.11.0, I still experience this on the latest .deb version. Please verify and ensure the fix works reliably.
2. Custom search engine setting is non‑functional (placeholder only)
As mentioned above, the search engine setting is just a placeholder and cannot be modified – this is a functional bug that prevents users from using their preferred search engine.
Overall Feedback
The Linux version currently feels much less polished compared to the macOS version. I hope the development team can pay more attention to Linux user experience and invest more effort into stability and feature completeness on this platform. Flow Browser has a bright future, and I'm looking forward to seeing it improve!
Thank you for your great work!