I have to use a firewall to turn off internet access to Google Play, because if I don't then when I wake up many apps will be updated- apps that I do not want updated at all!
This is regardless to the Do Not Auto-Update Apps setting, which is always off.
What is your default browser?
It is possible that Chrome is chosen, and so will restart when you open a link from another app.
Settings
Apps
(settings pinwheel)
Default Browser
If this is set to your own browser already, then you have another issue.
Different browsers integrate differently, some more than others.
My favorite browser, Lightning, is great- but it will not search for song lyrics when asked to by my music app (Black Player).
But an option to use the stock browser (yuck) or Chrome (double yuck) pops up instead.
So I had to find another browser that would also show up on this option when it pops up.
Lucky for me, I did.
FOSS Browser (F-Droid).
I made FOSS my default browser, and now all apps that have links open them with FOSS.
It is very small, and efficient.
When I am doing my own thing on the web, I use Lightning.
And now FOSS is handling all my links from other apps.
It seems like a pain, but after getting it set up and tweaking the settings it actually works quite well.