Jack Wallen/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeaways
- Brave’s mobile browser is far more secure than most.
- You also get tons of security/privacy options.
- Brave is free to install and use.
I’ve been using a combination of Firefox and Opera on my Pixel 9 Pro for some time. I used Opera for its feature list and Firefox for its privacy. That combo served me well, and I assumed it would become a permanent fixture on Android for me.
Then I got curious.
I’ve used Brave quite a bit, but mostly on the desktop. Sure, I’ve dabbled with Brave on Android now and then, but that was mostly for testing new features and the UI. What I didn’t realize was that there’s a ton of customization in one particular category: security and privacy.
Also: I tried Brave’s new stripped down Origin browser, and now it’s my top Chromium-based pick
This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s ever touched Brave on the desktop. It’s well known for being one of the most secure mainstream browsers on the market (bested only by Tor). What did surprise me was how well those security and privacy features translated to the mobile version of Brave.
Let me clarify: it didn’t surprise me in the “Wow, look at all those features!” way, but more in the “Why aren’t other browsers offering this level of security and privacy?” way.
A cornucopia of features
I was just poking around Brave to see if they’d added anything new to the UI, or if there were any game-changing features that I’d overlooked before. Turns out, the list of features I’d overlooked was extensive.
I opened Settings and navigated to the Brave Shields and privacy section. I’d scanned through it before, but never really gave it the attention it deserved. I would open the section and then, “Yeah, Brave is secure, blah, blah blah.” No, that wasn’t sarcasm; I understood and respected Brave’s security on the desktop, but I just didn’t realize how seriously they took it on the mobile side.
Also: 5 Android browsers I prefer over Chrome – and why they’re worth trying
It makes perfect sense. After all (according to Similarweb), 66.55% of global users depend on their phones, versus only 32.08% who depend on their laptops or desktops. With those numbers in mind, why wouldn’t the makers of Brave place as much (if not more) focus on the mobile version of the browser?
When I opened the Brave Shields and privacy section, I found myself scrolling… and scrolling… and scrolling through a cornucopia of features. Many of those features I knew, understood, and/or have used on other browsers.
Yes, Brave allows you to block cookies and fingerprinting, filter content, clear data, enable or disable opening external links, send “do not track” requests, and all the usual suspects found in most security and privacy sections of other browsers.
Also: I’ve used nearly every browser out there, and these are my top 4 (spoiler: Chrome is out)
But Brave goes considerably further than that. With Brave, you can lock private tabs when you leave, allow/disallow sites to check if you have payment methods saved, disable Ethereum and Solana, block social media logins, enable the shredding of browser data, allow/disallow screenshots in private windows, enable/disable the allowing of privacy-preserving product analytics, enabl/disable the allowing of element blocking in private windows, customize WebRTC IP handling policy, and more.
There’s a lot to understand
Brave takes security and privacy on mobile browsers to new levels by giving users total control. This wealth of features comes with a bit of a downside — you have to understand what you’re dealing with.
For instance, do you know what WebRTC IP handling policies are? This feature concerns how web browsers manage IP addresses (both local and public) when establishing connections for activities like video calls and file sharing. With Brave, you can choose between four policies:
- Default
- Default public and private interfaces
- Default public interface only
- Disable non-proxied UDP
And what are unstoppable domains? Even I had to look that one up (because I don’t deal with blockchain) and found that it’s blockchain-based domain names that give users permanent ownership of their digital identity.
Also: 5 Android browsers I prefer over Chrome – and why they’re worth trying
Or auto-redirect AMP pages, which are the accelerated mobile versions of web pages created by Google. Brave is set to automatically visit the original (non-AMP) pages instead. I prefer this because it means greater control and decentralization. AMP pages can also break some sites’ navigation features.
Some of the features are pretty obvious, such as shredding data upon exit. I like using the term “shred” over “delete” because it sounds much more aggressive and permanent.
Sure, you might have to stop and DuckDuckGo a feature or two (I don’t “google,” I “duckduckgo”) to understand what it means, but that time spent will be well worth it. In fact, every second you spend understanding the wealth of privacy and security features found in Brave not only means you will wind up with a safer experience, but it also means you’ll better understand what your mobile browser is doing to protect you.
Who doesn’t want that?
Also: How to clear your Google Search cache on Android (and why it’s a must for me)
If you’re serious about mobile browser security (and you should be), it would behoove you to install Brave on your phone, set it as the default, scan through the security section, and customize it to perfectly fit your needs.
Be brave, make the change.
