Internet use on mobile phones has exploded in the last two decades. Many more people can now access the Internet on the go. This also means that websites and advertisers have a greater opportunity to track and monitor your browser usage. Discover ways to do private browsing on Android and iPhone
There is an immediate need to protect your privacy while searching or surfing the web. And thus, here are four methods to do private browsing on Android and iPhone.
Ways to Do Private Browsing on Android and iPhone
Over the years, advertisers have found new ways to invade your privacy, and developers have found parallel ways to ensure your browsing stays private. These ways include blocking trackers and blocking cookies and scripts when necessary.
Any web browser that prioritizes user privacy and security while limiting tracking can be called a “private” browser. Some private browsers also delete your history and passwords on exit or even offer a built-in VPN.
While we understand that migrating to a new browser is a bit tricky, we think it’s about time we switched to a private browser, due to growing privacy concerns.
Traditionally, use incognito mode browser would be enough to browse privately and perform private searches on the web. However, with the rise of tools and services to track your usage, it’s essential to combine the prowess of incognito or private mode with a browser with privacy-oriented features.
Here are some of our favorite apps for private browsing and browsing on Android and iPhone, along with our thoughts on them.
Brave Browser is one of our favorite browsers as it always has a privacy-first approach and contains many strong features to enhance user security.
Includes features like HTTPS Everywhere lock scripting, blocking of cookies , ad blocker and a tracker blocker , which helps you maintain privacy and enhance security to a great extent. Most of these features are part of Brave Shields.
Brave Shield protects the user and is advantageous in the following ways:
- It blocks most of the ads and trackers that come with various websites.
- Discard cookies other than the ones from the sites you actually visit.
- It makes your browser more difficult to recognize and track without cookies.
- Upgrades you to secure connections when websites support them.
- Blocks malicious code and malicious sites.
- Blocks fingerprinting, so your unique browser and device identity stays secure and undetected.
Some of the disadvantages we feel are:
- The VPN is a paid add-on.
- Excessive privacy settings can harm websites.
- There have been concerns about the use of RAM by Brave Browser.
- In our personal experience, some websites, eg. Reddit refuses to load some UI elements.
Developed by: Brave Software, Inc., USA
Discharge: |
DuckDuckGo is known for its secure search engine, which it claims does more for user privacy and security compared to Google and Bing. A while back, they also entered the browser game by developing a web browser for Android and iOS, which is a solid choice for private search on Android and iPhone.
In addition to the safe search engine, DuckDuckGo block all third party trackers and even shows the numbers. It even comes with a one-click privacy switch called Global Privacy Control (GPC) which protects you against cookies, trackers, and upgrades sites to HTTPS.
In addition to the existing features, it is also testing two new features in beta: protection of email and protection of app tracking . The app tracking feature is a very easy way to block trackers around your apps. In-app trackers are a major obstacle to maintaining your privacy on your phone, as they constantly collect data related to your app usage, which may also include your personal data.
Once you enable app tracking protection, DuckDuckGo will detect when and how your Android apps are about to send data to third party tracking companies that are on your tracker list and effectively block those requests.
While this is quite a unique and interesting feature, it is currently in a testing phase and you can only request an invite to access this feature. These features will increase your online privacy by multiple folds, and we’re looking forward to seeing how these features will work in stable releases in the future.
Some of the advantages of the DuckDuckGo browser :
- Minimal user interface
- Light and stable
- Clear all your tabs and browsing data with one click.
- You can protect DuckDuckGo browser with Touch ID or Face ID on iOS devices.
Some disadvantages:
- The search engine is obviously not as good as Google Search.
- Although it covers most of the privacy features, only a few can be controlled by the end user.
- There are faster web browsers available.
- DuckDuckGo still relies on advertising for revenue, so you’ll likely see some ads, but keep in mind these aren’t personalized.
- Fewer customization options and weak autosuggestions.
Developed by: DuckDuckGo Inc., USA
Discharge: |
Tor (short for Onion Routing Project) is a open source privacy network that allows users to browse the Internet anonymously.
Tor is a global computer network that uses private and encrypted protocols to safeguard users’ online privacy. User data is protected and routed in multiple “layers” that resemble an onion. Therefore, the metaphor is used everywhere.
Tor Browser is a good option for private browsing on Android and iPhone. There are several browsers that come with the Tor protocol for Android and iOS, but if we had to suggest one, here are our recommendations.
An easy way to connect to the Tor network on Android is through the Tor Browser. Some of the Tor Browser features that allow you to browse privately include the following:
- Tor Browser isolates the websites you visit and thus blocks trackers and ads from following you.
- Cookies are automatically deleted when you finish browsing.
- Tor Browser prevents surveillance of your connection and thus prevents tracking of browsing activity.
- Tor blocks all forms of fingerprinting so your identity is protected.
- Your communication and browsing activity is transmitted and encrypted three times as it passes through the Tor network when you use Tor Browser for Android. The Tor relay network is made up of thousands of servers run by volunteers.
- With Tor Browser for Android, you can visit websites that are blocked by your service provider.
Some of the disadvantages of this browser are :
- Frequent crash complaints
- Not a very user friendly UI.
- Tabbed browsing is quite cumbersome.
- Complaints of incorrect rendering of web pages on some devices.
Developed by: The Tor Project, USA
Discharge:
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Onion Browser is the most popular iOS Tor Browser on the App Store. It is simple, well-designed, and contains a good number of features to ensure your privacy while browsing the web. It comes with a preset set of security features that you can define at startup.
You have three options called Gold, silver and bronze. The option Silver would be the optimal setting for most users.
- It comes with most privacy-enhancing features like Do Not Track, HTTPS Everywhere,
- App lock via Touch ID/Face ID, etc. is also available.
- You can also block scripts when needed.
- Automatically deletes cookies and tabs.
While it does a decent job of offering privacy features, some of the downsides include:
- The app is quite unstable as many users are complaining about the app crashing.
- JavaScript is not completely disabled even if you manually disable it in the browser.
- Some users complain about not being able to connect to some websites.
Developed by: Mike Tigas, USA
Discharge
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InBrowser is a lightweight and super minimal private browser for Android and iOS. Plus, it’s completely free.
Some of the highlights and pros of InBrowser include:
- When you exit InBrowser, all data and history is deleted.
- AirPlay and Bluetooth monitoring is available on iOS devices.
- InBrowser confirms if AirPlay is running or if you’re sharing audio via Bluetooth every time you launch the app, so you can avoid inadvertently sharing video or audio with another device.
- It comes with no junk or ads.
- InBrowser supports agent cloaking, which means you can make websites think you’re visiting them from Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.
- It comes with good video support as you can click on a video link and play it in the app’s video player. Any trace of this is removed when you exit the app.
- It is also compatible with TOR through Orbot.
- It comes with all the standard browsing protection features like Do Not Track, HTTPS only mode, etc.
- It also allows the integration of the LastPass password manager.
Some of the disadvantages of the InBrowser are the following:
- Users complain that the browser language is changed randomly.
- Download speeds appear to be slower than most browsers.
- Issues with dark mode compatibility on Android.
- Bookmarks are not available.
- Too simple to be used as a main browser.
Developed By: Private Internet Access Inc., USA
Discharge: |
Here are some of our picks for Android and iPhone private browsing and searching. Explore all the apps and we hope this guide will help you make the right choice to ensure your privacy as well as using private or incognito mode. Stay tuned for more helpful guides on the browsers you use.
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