After months of waiting, now Android users can take the Arc Search app for a spin. It’s now available as an open beta on the Google Play Store after developers teased an Android version of the app in August.
The Arc Search app is taking on Chrome on Google’s platform with a beta version of its browser that blocks ads by default and summarizes search results for you.
Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Arc is The Browser Company’s take on web browsing, billing itself as offering better customization options than competitors. The Arc Search app also comes with an AI feature, called “Browse for me,” that searches the web for your query and comes up with a summary based on its sources.
The app also automatically archives old tabs, blocks ads by default, and gets rid of data-tracking popups, which has me tempted to switch away from Edge. While Arc initially launched as a Mac-only desktop browser, the Arc Search app launched widely for iOS devices in January and on Windows in April.
Speaking to The Verge on our Decoder podcast last month, The Browser Company cofounder and CEO Josh Miller said he plans to launch a paid product that will apply “additional functionality on top” of the app. “We really think of Arc Search as the companion app to the desktop product... but the intention of Arc Search: it is the mobile browser to the desktop browser,” Miller said.
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