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Brave Browser Takes Top Spot In Trending Communication Apps

Brave Software’s Brave Browser: Fast AdBlocker has now risen to the top of the Google Play Store’s Trending Communication category, after gaining more than four million users in six months. It’s not necessarily difficult to see why that is the case, either. The browser is centered around tenets of privacy and security for end-users. At the same time, Brave is said to be working on a way for ad-supported sites to still get paid. That latter system hasn’t been significantly detailed by the company but reportedly allows publishers to earn income for browser-native ads. Furthermore, it takes battery optimization seriously and provides metrics for users to pour over for each site visited. It doesn’t hurt matters that the browser was co-founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of Mozilla’s Firefox. Now, with more than 5 million downloads and a 4.4-star rating, Brave is arguably among the more popular browsers on Android.

There are a plethora of features included with Brave Browser, which is based on Chromium version 66.0.3359.158. Chief among those are ad blocking and security. Ad-blocking and tracking, HTTPS Everywhere, and third-party cookie blocking are turned on by default but can be toggled individually. Two of those are self-explanatory but HTTPS Everywhere effectively encrypts data traffic. Script blocking and fingerprinting protection are also included as options but disabled by default. The toggles for those are built into the menu hidden behind the company’s icon in the browser itself. A blocking monitor is provided alongside, allowing users to see an overview of what the browser has detected in use on a given site. that’s provided in addition to the usual incognito or private tab mode. Pop-ups are blocked as well, equating to secure and quick browsing without the need to install or configure plugins. Beyond even those features, battery and data usage are optimized by the very features that protect user data and privacy. Meanwhile, being built on Chromium means that the interface should be more familiar to anybody who uses Google’s Chrome than other apps in the category might be. That’s complete with a menu for accessing settings, history, bookmarks, and recently closed tabs.

Topping all of that off, Brave Browser is completely free to use and works with Android 4.1 (Jellybean) or newer. It’s worth noting that it does require quite a few permissions so users will want to check those out before downloading. Among those, more prominent ones include access to device and app history, location data, camera, and microphone. Given how those can improve or enhance a browsing experience and Brave Software’s commitment to privacy, those aren’t necessarily deal-breakers. But they are worth noting. In the meantime, anybody interested in checking it out for themselves can find Brave Browser: Fast AdBlocker via the button below.