Arc Search is coming to Android to ween you off Chrome

The admired web browser Arc Search is finally coming to Android devices.

The independent option, which has been peeling Apple users away from Safari on iOS and Mac, also launched on Windows devices back in April 2024.

Now the company behind the streamlined web browser, designed to minimise distractions, has confirmed the Android launch is coming.

That’s great news for Android owners who’ve missed out on the browser until now, perhaps because it has been built on Apple’s Swift programming language.

The iOS version currently promises to browse the web for you. “For any search, tapping Browse for Me will scour the web, read multiple pages, and build you the perfect tab,” the company explains. It’ll also automatically archive old tabs, block ads and banners – even GDPR – while keeping distractions limited thanks to a Reader Mode. It reckons it’ll get you to what you need faster because it opens with the keyboard up, while there’s also a minimal design that tints itself to match websites colour schemes perfectly.

Advocates have praised the browser for bringing “order to the chaos of the online life” and cited it as “intuitive, playful and pretty.”

There’s also a bunch of AI-based features that have proved useful for users on desktop. There’s a built-in Ask On Page AI feature, while there’s fast access to ChatGPT. Significantly, Arc renames tabs automatically so you have a better idea of what you’re browsing when everything gets cluttered, and there’s an Arc Max feature that brings up 5-second previews of pages before you click the link, just by hovering over it.

The launch was confirmed before the weekend in a Threads post (via 9to5Google) from the Arc Internet account, including a video showing the Arc Browser running on Android. The company didn’t say when the official launch will take place, but we’ll let you know.