[Custom Tabs Mode] "Open external links in Brave" toggle switch is OFF by default, but links still opened in Custom Tab Mode

[hffvld]

Description

Open external links in Brave toggle switch is OFF by default, but links still open in Custom Tab Mode

Steps to reproduce

1. Fresh install Brave 1.53.x > Launch the app and go through the onboarding
2. Hamburger Menu > Settings
3. Scroll down to see Open external links in Brave toggle switch > Observe, it set to OFF be default
4. Launch Gmail, for example > Open any email that contains links > Open the link > Observe, it opened in Custom Tab Mode

Actual result

Open external links in Brave toggle switch is set to OFF by default, but links still open in Custom Tab Mode when opening it from other apps

1.51.x	1.53.x

timestamp_16-56-41_16-57-43.mp4

Expected result

Open external links in Brave toggle switch must be set to ON by default and links must be opened in Custom Tab Mode

Issue reproduces how often

Easily reproduced

Version/Channel Information:

• Can you reproduce this issue with the current Play Store version? No
• Can you reproduce this issue with the current Play Store Beta version? No
• Can you reproduce this issue with the current Play Store Nightly version? Yes

Device details

• Install type (ARM, x86): ARM
• Device type (Phone, Tablet, Phablet): Pixel 7 [phone]
• Android version: Android 14 [panther_beta-user 14 UPB2.230407.014 release-keys]

Brave version

Brave build: 1.53.47
Chromium: 114.0.5735.26 (Official Build) canary (64-bit)
Revision: 7075cbb66f0542ac3e01ddfde6b813e7d61118a5-refs/branch-heads/5735@{#454}

Website problems only

• Does the issue resolve itself when disabling Brave Shields?
• Does the issue resolve itself when disabling Brave Rewards?
• Is the issue reproducible on the latest version of Chrome?

Additional information

[kjozwiak]

Change related to brave/brave-core#18316. Just need to fix the following issues:

• default value - should be enabled by default similar to 1.52.x & 1.51.x which have Open tabs in Custom Tabs enabled
• figure out why custom tabs are still being used when the feature is disabled (assuming related to default values)

As per @samartnik & @deeppandya, the above isn't related to C114.

[kjozwiak]

The above requires 1.53.82 or higher for 1.53.x verification 👍

[hffvld]

Verified on Pixel 7 using version(s):

Device/OS: Pixel 7 [panther_beta-user 14 UPB3.230519.008 release-keys]
Brave build: 1.53.102
Chromium: 114.0.5735.133 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Revision: fbfa2ce68d01b2201d8c667c2e73f648a61c4f4a-refs/branch-heads/5735@{#1270}

---

STEPS:

1. Fresh install Brave > Launch the app and go through the onboarding
2. Three-dot menu > Settings
3. Scroll down to see Open external links in Brave toggle switch > Verify
4. Launch Gmail, for example > Open any email that contains links > Open the link > Verify

ACTUAL RESULTS:

• Verified that Open external links in Brave toggle switch is ON by default
• Verified that links are opened in Custome Tab Mode only when Open external links in Brave is ON

timestamp_19-35-13_19-36-23.mp4