from mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world to privacy@lemmy.ml on 16 May 20:59
https://lemmy.world/post/29767815
As open source as Android is, it is very difficult to find a decent browser, let alone one that is privacy focused and also usable on daily.
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Almost all web searches point to site that shows stuff like : Chrome, Edge, Opera…etc. So this doesnt help.
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Play Store is full of shitty browsers. If you skip the usual DDG, Chrome, Edge, Opera…etc then you will see either:
a) browsers from random Chinese company (Via, UC Browser)
or b) browser that is coupled with other products, e.g. a video downloader with built in browser.
- After the recent fiasco with Firefox and their ToS, I saw a lot of posts saying IronFox / Water Fox is better. I’ve never heard of these Foxes variants before.
So I tried the following on Android:
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DDG: only good if you do basic search. It lacks a good adblocker. So very annoying if you are on a site with shit tons of popups.
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Brave: not a fan of the in your face AI tools. Overall it works ok though
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The Foxes variants: IronFox seems to be very good on privacy. It has its own DNS and most of the security is on by default. However, same as all Foxes, IronFox just doesnt play well on Android. There is a slight lag when you try to switch tabs.
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TOR: This would be the safest. But the poorest in terms of usability.
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Chrome w/o account or Chrome run from private space. Surprisingly, Chrome is still the one browser that runs the smoothest…
Any input is appreciated.
threaded - newest
Glad to hear Brave isn't awful. I haven't tried it as I'm trying to avoid Chrome entirely for now.
I've been using IceRaven/Mull on a very old (out of support) LG phone, and I'm not sure I entirely understand the "pauses" thing? I don't see meaningful pauses when I switch tabs, other than the page reloading if it was purged from RAM. But like. That happens in Safari on iOS on a brand new phone, too, so it's not entirely an Android-specific complaint.
Honestly, all mobile browsers are UI train-wrecks of one kind or another. For me it was this exact process of elimination to decide which I like least, and then from there deciding which inflict the fewest paper cuts. For me, FF sync (settings mostly, but also tab sets) was more important than whatever memory problems Mozilla rebrands might have. :(
I use IronFox and have no qualms. Vandium on graphene is also popular. Buy apart from that I can’t offer up much more
I ran into some broken site issues with IronFox (which is completely understandable), but after tweaking every setting I could possibly find I couldn’t resolve them. Fennec is a good compromise for me
Also on IronFox and it’s solid.
If you already use Brave on desktop then that works fine too and syncs your data. Not a huge fan of the crypto/AI stuff in the browser, but the security/privacy aspect of the browser is good.
Gonna be real, Firefox with some settings changed + uBlock/Librewolf + uBlock is Brave, and even better honestly. Brave has whitelisted some trackers on sites, and they also will break a site while not giving you a chance to find the one tracker breaking the site, forcing you to turn the entire shield off, defeating the purpose. Meanwhile, uBlock with advanced settings on will allow you to still block anything unnecessary to letting the site do basic functions.
It sounds like you’ve come to the correct conclusion that no browser is best. I use Brave.
I’ve been using Fennec and it works 99% of the times and on the rare occasion I need Chromium based browser I use Brave. I don’t have any issues with either.
Usually the same. Except Brave I use Vivaldi.
Same except my alt is chromite
Chromite is on Android?
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Currently on mobile I run DDG for primary uses, and Tor browser occasionally when I want extra privacy, but it is too slow to use for everything. DDG is fine IMO. It’s simple and I like the default “always incognito” approach it has. I have no issues using their search.
I would be interested in migrating to some libre-like version of firefox, but haven’t figured out what that would be yet from the options that are out there. I don’t want to use any chromium descended browser anymore, so stuff like Brave is out.
Edit: I’m now trying out Fennec for my daily driver
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t DDG browser also based on Chromium?
I thought not, but you made me look into it and it is using the Blink engine (chromium). I guess I need to try out the foxes
Fennec
I use Cromite. It’s a more hardened fork of Bromite. Which itself is a hardened fork of Chromium.
The only thing I’ve found so far is that it likes to block the discussion threads on some websites. But other than that I’ve had no issues whatsoever.
According to the tests I’ve run, IronFox, Brave, and Tor Browser are the only options (in my opinion).
Cromite also works, as does Vanadium, but they’re… basic, and the fingerprinting resistance could be better.
I’m spread out across Waterfox, Ironfox, Brave and Vivaldi.
For FF forks, don’t neglect extensions like JShelter. They make a difference as well.
Vivaldi, sync ee2e with the desktop version.
I’ve been running IronFox for a while and it’s been solid.
i run cromite, it works quite well, has built in ad and track blocking and is quite fast
f-droid.org/en/…/org.mozilla.fennec_fdroid/
Or, any of a dozen browsers in F-Droid. Each would require evaluation and research, but Android is certainly not restricted in choices.
I’ve been using DuckDuckGo’s browser, it’s pretty alright.
DuckDuckGo Browser is a webview browser which has weaker tab isolation and uses the system’s default webview implementation, most often chrome webview.
Huh, that’s unfortunate. I see a lot of recommendations for Fennec and Ironfox a fair amount and use regular firefox on desktop, maybe I should check those out. Is there one you recommend?
Ironfox or Cromite
I use Firefox Focus/Klar as my default and if I want anything to persist, I’ll open it in Brave or Chromium.
Cromite+Fennec
I’ve been on Waterfox for years and see no reason worth changing for.
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I use 3 browsers on my android devices. All 3 on all of them. That’s Firefox as the primary, and then Firefox Focus, and Firefox Nightly.
In the primary Firefox browser, I use uBlock Origin.
I have no lag - so why you talk about “all foxes” here, I don’t really know. Maybe you do know that Google, Like MS, Apple and others, always try to make it harder to use anything else, than their solution?
Mullvad browser and Tor browser are the only serious options for privacy on the internet. Librewolf, cromite, Firefox, brave, etc will get you fingerprinted. If you care about security more than privacy, use a chromium based browser. Personally, I use Mullvad browser with Vpn (use only protonvpn, mullvad, or ivpn, they have had security and legal tests) it’s the best combo of fast and private.
For mobile, the options are more limited. Ironfox, Cromite, and Vanadium (GrapheneOs) are the best bets for daily use. Tor Browser is the only one that actually stops fingerprinting however, but it is difficult to recommend it as a daily driver, it’s more of a tool.
Source: I actually help code security software and test it in real world scenarios regularly
People should be aware that Tor is gonna be quite a bit slower and isn’t practical for things like streaming.
Yeah it’s not really suitable as a daily driver. Mullvad is imo
I was about to ask, wasn’t Mullvad discontinued a few months ago? But I’m thinking of the Mull browser, right?
Yeah Mull is a different project. Mullvad browser is better than Mull (now Ironfox) tho lol.
For those wondering, Mullvad is only good if you change nothing about the browser, if you do, then you will he easily fingerprinted. As the number of people who use Mullvad is already small as it is. You will br like a spotlight in the dark if you add other extensions.
I’ve actually tested doing addons to the browser and keeping permanence, and I found it good for my use cases and my specific add-ons (add-ons that do not access DOM). Most major sites don’t have the tech to actually fingerprint it that way. Yes, it does harm the potential fingerprinting, but if you are careful and make it so that private browsing mode basically resets it to default, you can turn it on when you need to. The biggest issue is turning cookies on imo.
Of course, only do this if you know what you’re doing, know your requirements, and know the ins and outs of how fingerprinting on particular sites work. Its perfectly reasonable to main mullvad browser with its baseline setup.
I’m on IronFox on a cheap ~200$ Motorola phone and had no issues, runs like the old Mull used to
firefox/fennec with ublock origin
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Unpopular opinion: Quetta + uBlock Origin + NextDNS works really well. The interface is very configurable and clean. Good translator, background playback, extensions, DoH…
Vanadium along with Kagi Search engine and NextDNS is god tier
Firefox. They’re still great, people keep freaking out over extremely benign changes.
Firefox or Waterfox if you’re freaking out about Firefox.
I find VIvaldi to be the most functional and its also my preferred desktop browser, It’s like brave but without the crypto non-sense, and much more focused on what users want rather than what will make them advertising money.
Librewolf on PC, or Tor, if you want to go full on; And Ironfox on Android. Use LibRedirect as a search provider and if you use Searxing, it will rotate all your searches to different instances every time.
Graphene os + vanadium
github.com/GrapheneOS/Vanadium
Firefox with Ublock Origin and NextDNS
I personally use Firefox still; and keep a fresh copy in a (Pixel only feature) Private Space (Basically an implementation of Android alternate user profile) as well. It works and accepts any privacy addons I throw at it.
Currently using:
^1^ - May duplicate functions of other plug-ins; but provide additional protection layers and cover for the limitations of other addon(s)…
Being worried about addons adding to your fingerprint is something that I quite honestly find is not a significant issue usually…unless you’re explicitly doing something truly spooky if found out…then you should use Tor Browser ONLY.