Arc Search Web Browser Out Of Beta, Available On Android With Voice Search, Widgets, And More

This is a day of celebration for The Browser Company, the team behind the Arc Browser.

This is because the team has finally rolled out an Android version of the Arc Browser. Called 'Arc Search', it's a lightweight AI-powered search engine capable of providing summaries as well as a host of privacy-focused features.

The Browser Company knows that on Android, Google is pretty much the king.

With Chrome as the most prominent web browser, others could only compete with the titan by consuming its leftovers.

From Mozilla Firefox to Opera, Vivaldi, UC Browser and many more, nothing could reach even a fraction of what Chrome has.

So, how can an Arc compete with existing ones that are much more established?

The answer, is by taking a different route.

An underdog sometimes bites hard. And The Browser Company can bite really hard.

This is because as a browser, it doesn't wish to compete directly with more established products, like Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge, in their game. Instead, The Browser Company makes a browser to invent its own new game, and its own rules.

Founded by Josh Miller and Hursh Agrawal, the company takes a different route because the bar for the competition is just too high for a new company to ever compete.

According to Miller, the CEO of the company, building yet another web browser is pointless, and a huge waste of time.

Chrome's dominance has led to a number of browsers to appear, and each of them offer unique experience.

With big and popular browsers having their own fans, there are little reasons for them to switch to other popular browsers, let alone a smaller browser from a much less established brand.

So instead of competing in the market where pretty much every web browser user use, the company created Arc, a freeware web browser that wants to be "the internet computer".

Initially, Arc was released as a beta on December 2023.

Back in April, the team released Arc Search to Microsoft Windows.

This time, it's Android's turn.

Traditionally, when users try to look for something up on the internet using their phone, they would open up a web browser, type in the query, and see results that come as a compiled list of sources.

Arc Search does this too, but a little differently.

When users open their browser for the first time or launch a new tab, they’re greeted with a clean input bar where they can type their query and tap "Browse for Me." Arc Search then scans relevant pages, gathers information, and presents a neatly formatted summary.

To keep users on track, Arc Search includes a dedicated sources section. This feature allows users to verify the information for themselves if needed.

AI tools can sometimes generate inaccurate or misleading information, often presenting it so convincingly that people may believe it without question. The sources section empowers users to cross-check crucial details, ensuring accuracy and transparency.

For convenience, users can change the AI responses to their preferred language, or let it choose the language automatically based on their query.

And if users wish to browse the web the traditional way, users can tap on the floating button on the border to switch to their preferred search engine.

After all, it's original intention is being the "the internet computer."

Read: How 'Arc' Is Introduced As A Web Browser, Until It Wants To Be 'The Internet's Computer'

In all, using Arc Search is pretty much clutter-free.

The most prominent would be the bottom bar, where users can access to open new tabs, find extra options, or browse open tabs. The user interface is pretty much full screen by default, with the bottom bar intelligently popping in and out of view as users scroll.

The tabs look and feel a lot like the recent apps carousel on Android.

For those users who like having tons of tabs, Arc Search can keep them tidy, and automatically archiving them.

But since it's well hidden, these are mostly out of the way.

And hitting Chrome where it hurts the most, this underdog Arc Search is not only lighter in resources than Chrome, but also doubling down on user privacy. It includes a built-in ad blocker that doesn’t just handle intrusive pop-ups—it also eliminates frustrating cookie banners and trackers.

The minimal data Arc Search does collect, such as profile information for browser accounts, device data for support and debugging, and usage statistics (excluding browsing, download, or content history), is safeguarded with a firm promise: it will never be sold to third parties.