This new AI-powered iPhone browser trumps Safari by searching the web for you

Sick of struggling to find the answers to your search queries in Safari, Chrome, or any of the other best browsers on iOS? A new alternative has just emerged that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to do the searching for you, potentially helping you find accurate results much more quickly.

Called Arc Search, the app is made by The Browser Company of New York, an outfit that has also made the desktop Arc browser that captured headlines in 2023. With Arc Search, the developer has added a bunch of interesting features that could see it supplant your current favorite browser on your iPhone.

First among them is the app’s 'Browse for Me' feature. When you enter a search query, you can view a standard page of results in your search engine of choice, or you can instead tap the Browse for Me button. This uses AI to gather information from six different sources, then builds a custom web page that displays all the key information you need to answer your search query.

This can include useful photos and videos, bullet-pointed text, and more. It’s a clever way to pull in information from a variety of sources and ensure you stand a good chance of getting what you need at the first attempt, without having to endlessly scroll through useless information and unhelpful websites.

Privacy protections

The Arc Search web browser for iOS running on an iPhone, with various search results displayed.

(Image credit: Future)

Arc Search comes with other handy features besides Browse for Me. For instance, you can tell it to block ads, trackers and GDPR cookie banners on all websites. That’s a great way to protect your privacy by default, although it’s not clear if the app actually opts out of cookies on GDPR banners or simply hides them.

Arc Search will also automatically archive inactive tabs after one day, which might come in handy for people who struggle to control their tab overload (such as yours truly). And there’s a reader mode that strips out unnecessary visual elements to give you a more focused experience.

Some of features aren’t available in Browse for Me, though. For instance, you can’t share your custom pages or copy a link to them, nor can you view them in reader mode. Perhaps these tools will come later.

Regardless, Arc Search is an intriguing alternative to the usual suspects when it comes to iOS browsers, and could make its own claim to the best browser title if it continues to add interesting features. If you want to try it out, it’s free to download on the iOS App Store with no subscriptions or in-app purchases to worry about.

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Microsoft finally caves and will let some users actually use their preferred browser in Windows 11

When you’re browsing on Windows 11 and click on a link in another part of your computer, say a different app or a news reader, regardless of your selected default browser your link will be opened in Microsoft Edge. That can be incredibly annoying when you’re trying to navigate your computer and have to keep manually copying and pasting links into your preferred browser, but that may be about to change. 

This this is good news for people tired of Microsoft’s pushy habit of trying to force users to use Edge over other preferred web browsers like Google Chrome or Firefox

If you set your default browser to anything aside from Microsoft Edge you should be able to discard Edge and move on, with your choices being respected. 

Bye bye Edge

There are some tools like EdgeDeflector and MSEdgeRedirect that allow users to bypass this and use their chosen browsers. The clear intention was to push Microsoft Edge despite users wanting to use a more popular web browser, but it seems like Microsoft has admitted defeat and has released a new build that will curb this.

According to Ghacks, Build 23531 was released to the Dev Channel recently and will change the forced opening of Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 when you click on website links within the Start menu or Search bar.  Ghacks notes that Microsoft added, “In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links”.

Users not in the EEA will have to wait it out to see if Microsoft will extend this ‘courtesy’ to them as well. At the moment, however, it seems like Microsoft is only dropping its pushy behavior because of pressure from lawmakers, not because it's the right thing to do. 

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Bing AI gets some handy new features in Microsoft Edge browser

Microsoft has bolstered the capabilities of its Bing AI in the Edge browser’s side panel with a couple of welcome new features.

As flagged up by Leopeva64, a regular source of Edge leaks and developments on Twitter, there’s now an export button built into the Bing Chat pane in Microsoft’s browser.

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Click it and you get the choice of exporting whatever content you’re currently looking at in the chatbot to a Word document, PDF, or text file.

A second change for Edge spotted by Leopeva64 is that the Bing Chat side panel has a new section entitled ‘Mentioned’ which picks out highlights of things that are, well, mentioned by the chatbot.

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As you can see in the example provided in Leopeva64’s tweet, selected movies are shown as images (movie posters, in this case) that you can click on to learn more about the film (with the AI pulling info from Wikipedia in this case).


Analysis: Next up – the huge change for browsers

Clearly, it’s good to have the export feature in the Edge side panel. If you’ve found something particularly interesting, it’s great to have the ability to export it as some kind of document file with a couple of clicks.

Microsoft actually announced that this feature was inbound at the start of May (in one of those many Bing blog posts which are crafted on a weekly basis), so it has taken a little while for it to go live.

The new ‘Mentioned’ box has arrived more out of the blue, but again, it’s a useful addition to have and provides a jumping-off point for deeper exploration into related materials from any particular query.

Bing is steadily being built out in all kinds of directions, then, but in terms of the browser experience, the biggest change is going to be the introduction of the chatbot to browsers outside of Edge. That should be happening soon enough, going by chatter from sources at Microsoft, so you’ll be able to use the Bing AI in Chrome, for example, without having to resort to an unofficial (and clunky) extension.

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Google Chrome’s new customization tools make the browser a lot more fun

If you've been finding Google Chrome a gray, uninspiring place to be lately, then the browser's new customization tools make it much easier to give it a much-needed lick of paint.

In the latest version of Chrome on desktop, Google has added a new side panel that lets you try out a bunch of new uplifting colors, themes and settings. While many of these options were previously available in Chrome, these new ones are easier to use and actually let you see the changes you're making in real-time.

If you don't have automatic updates turned on, you can update to the latest version by going to the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the toolbar then going to Help > About Google Chrome.

Once you're updated, how do you find Chrome's customization tools? Open a new tab and you'll see a 'Customize Chrome' icon in the bottom right-hand corner. Click that and it'll open up the new sidebar. The main section to fiddle with is the 'Appearance' section at the top.

A video showing where to find the Google Chrome customization settings

(Image credit: Google)

This lets you change two big things – the overall color scheme of your Chrome browser and the background image, which you can set to change everyday. Click on 'Change theme' and you'll see a range of default background options from a selection of artists, or some more subtle ones like 'geometric shapes' if those are too distracting.

If you can't decide on one, then just toggle the 'refresh daily' option within each collection and Chrome will cycle through them. Alongside these themes, you can also pick a background color for your toolbar and tabs, thanks to the grid further down. 

There are 15 default colors to choose from, though you can go super-granular with the eyedropper tool, which lets you enter your own RGB values (just in case you were wondering, the TechRadar logo is R:47, G:110, B:145).

Bigger changes under the hood

Chrome's revamped customization tools are a nice little quality-of-life upgrade for regular users – even if it isn't quite as dramatic as the new AI-powered Opera One browser, which has a built-in chatbot called Aria.

Google has so far been reticent to take that step, preferring to keep its Google Bard chatbot as a separate “experiment” that you open in a browser window. But Bard will soon start appearing more prominently in Google's products, including Chrome and Pixel phones (where the chatbot is rumored to be getting its own widget). 

A video showing how to change the color of your Chrome browser

(Image credit: Google)

Google is also separately making some big changes underneath Chrome's hood, with its plans to turn off third-party cookies moving forwards at a glacial pace. So while Microsoft Edge is now arguably a better browser than Chrome, Google is slowly reinventing its browser under the hood.

If you're looking to customize and tweak Google Chrome even more to go with your new themes, remember that the best Chrome extensions are also a fine way to add new features like tabs that automatically close when they've inactive – as long as you watch out for malicious extensions that can steal your Gmail messages and more.

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Opera launch Crypto Browser Project on iOS

After releasing its Crypto Browser Project on Windows, Mac and Android back in January, Opera has now launched a version of its cryptocurrency-focused browser on iOS.

For those unfamiliar, the company’s new browser is based around cryptocurrency and will provide users with an easier way to browse decentralized apps (dApps), games and metaverse platforms for a more seamless cross-platform experience. 

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Opera’s Crypto Browser Project also features a news and data aggregator named “Crypto Corner”, a bespoke start page with live crypto information and updates, crypto asset prices and gas fees as well as crypto events, airdrops and even podcasts.

While Web3 is gaining momentum on the developer side with 34k developers joining the space in 2021 alone, the Web3-experience for users is still far from intuitive and is not optimized for iPhone users.

For these reasons, Opera has decided to add support for iOS to its Crypto Browser which is a dedicated Web3 browser with a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet.

Opera Crypto Browser on iOS 

In addition to giving users access to Web3 and dApps, Opera’s Crypto Browser on iOS also includes cryptocurrency mining protection that can block any ‘cryptojacking’ scripts that could compromise a user’s iPhone and decrease its performance.

The browser on iOS even features the ability to restore any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible  crypto wallet with the native Opera Wallet so that users can integrate their existing assets and balances into their Crypto Browser setup.

At the same time, Opera’s Crypto Browser is designed to address crypto’s growing pains with support for more efficient and environmentally-friendly PoS and Layer 2 chains which enable cheaper transactions and consume far less energy than Proof-of-Work (PoW) Blockchains. As such, the company has partnered with Polygon and will be integrating more PoS chains in its browser going forward.

EVP of mobile at Opera, Joregne Arnesen provided further insight in a press release on how the company’s Crypto Browser makes Web3 more accessible for users, saying:

“The interest in Web3 is continuing to grow. The Opera Crypto Browser Project was built to simplify the Web3 user experience that has often been bewildering for mainstream users. Opera believes Web3 has to be easy to use in order to reach its full potential and a mass adoption.”

iOS users interested in cryptocurrency or checking out Web3 and dApps for themselves can now download Opera’s Crypto Browser from Apple’s App Store.

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Opera launch Crypto Browser Project on iOS

After releasing its Crypto Browser Project on Windows, Mac and Android back in January, Opera has now launched a version of its cryptocurrency-focused browser on iOS.

For those unfamiliar, the company’s new browser is based around cryptocurrency and will provide users with an easier way to browse decentralized apps (dApps), games and metaverse platforms for a more seamless cross-platform experience. 

Share your thoughts on Cybersecurity and get a free copy of the Hacker’s Manual 2022. Help us find how businesses are preparing for the post-Covid world and the implications of these activities on their cybersecurity plans. Enter your email at the end of this survey to get the bookazine, worth $ 10.99/£10.99.

Opera’s Crypto Browser Project also features a news and data aggregator named “Crypto Corner”, a bespoke start page with live crypto information and updates, crypto asset prices and gas fees as well as crypto events, airdrops and even podcasts.

While Web3 is gaining momentum on the developer side with 34k developers joining the space in 2021 alone, the Web3-experience for users is still far from intuitive and is not optimized for iPhone users.

For these reasons, Opera has decided to add support for iOS to its Crypto Browser which is a dedicated Web3 browser with a built-in non-custodial crypto wallet.

Opera Crypto Browser on iOS 

In addition to giving users access to Web3 and dApps, Opera’s Crypto Browser on iOS also includes cryptocurrency mining protection that can block any ‘cryptojacking’ scripts that could compromise a user’s iPhone and decrease its performance.

The browser on iOS even features the ability to restore any Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible  crypto wallet with the native Opera Wallet so that users can integrate their existing assets and balances into their Crypto Browser setup.

At the same time, Opera’s Crypto Browser is designed to address crypto’s growing pains with support for more efficient and environmentally-friendly PoS and Layer 2 chains which enable cheaper transactions and consume far less energy than Proof-of-Work (PoW) Blockchains. As such, the company has partnered with Polygon and will be integrating more PoS chains in its browser going forward.

EVP of mobile at Opera, Joregne Arnesen provided further insight in a press release on how the company’s Crypto Browser makes Web3 more accessible for users, saying:

“The interest in Web3 is continuing to grow. The Opera Crypto Browser Project was built to simplify the Web3 user experience that has often been bewildering for mainstream users. Opera believes Web3 has to be easy to use in order to reach its full potential and a mass adoption.”

iOS users interested in cryptocurrency or checking out Web3 and dApps for themselves can now download Opera’s Crypto Browser from Apple’s App Store.

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A clever new browser extension eliminates one of the worst problems with the web

A team of academics has developed a new web browser extension that rejects cookie consent pop-ups automatically.

Developed by researchers from Google and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the CookieEnforcer extension navigates through the labyrinth of menus that conceal the option to reject non-essential cookies on the user’s behalf.

As explained in a paper published earlier this month, the extension analyzes the rendering pattern of HTML elements to identify cookie notices, before mapping out the necessary sequence of clicks. An evaluation of its accuracy found the extension to be effective in 91% of cases.

The implementation of third-party cookies, which are used to track people across the web to inform targeted advertising efforts, has long been the subject of fierce debate.

On one side, there are companies like Google, which argue that tracking technologies prop up business models that guarantee universal access to web services and content. But on the other side are those that believe our privacy is too great a price to pay, and that there are ways to replumb the economic engine of the web.

In an effort to increase the level of transparency around data collection practices, regulations like GDPR were implemented across the world, requiring websites to request explicit consent from the user. But whether these rules resulted in a net gain from a privacy perspective is unclear.

“Cookie notices inform users about the type of cookies the website maintains, their purpose and, in many cases, the options to control them. However, in their current forms, cookie notices suffer from usability issues,” the researchers explain.

“Prior work has shown that these notices use dark patterns to manipulate users into making website-friendly choices which put users’ privacy at risk.”

Earlier this year, both Facebook and Google were slapped with multi-million-euro fines by the French data protection regulator over precisely this practice, which makes the latter’s participation in the development of CookieEnforcer deliciously ironic.

In lieu of new regulation that shields against manipulative behavior of this sort, or bans the use of cookies outright, CookieEnforcer eliminates the friction associated with locating the option to reject third-party cookies.

Unfortunately, the extension is not yet publicly available. The research team says it is preparing a general release, but has not yet offered a specific timeline.

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This Google Chrome challenger could be the best browser for private surfing

In addition to its search engine and mobile browser, DuckDuckGo has announced the beta launch of DuckDuckGo for Mac with DuckDuckGo for Windows coming soon.

Just like its mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an all-one-privacy solution for everyday web browsing that doesn’t require complicated settings to protect your online privacy and data.

Alongside its built-in private search engine, the company’s new browser for desktop also features a number of useful security features including a powerful tracker blocker, new cookie pop-up protection, a Fire Button for one-click data clearing, email protection and more, all free of charge.

DuckDuckGo for Mac also ensures you navigate to the HTTPS version of websites more often with its built-in Smarter Encryption. Meanwhile, the company’s tracker blocker prevents users from being exposed to third-party scripts that could try to access their data.

DuckDuckGo for Mac Logins

(Image credit: DuckDuckGo)

A browser designed to protect your privacy

Unlike Incognito mode in Google Chrome which isn’t actually private, DuckDuckGo for Mac is intended to be used as an everyday browser that truly protects user privacy though it also includes other features you’d expect from a modern browser such as password management, tab management, bookmarks and more.

At the same time, DuckDuckGo for Mac is already faster than Chrome using the Motion Mark 1.2 benchmark and since it blocks trackers, the browser uses around 60 percent less data. DuckDuckGo for Mac is able to achieve these high speeds by using Apple’s WebKit rendering engine which is the same one used by Safari.

CEO and founder of DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg provided further insight on the built-in privacy protection in the company’s new browser for Mac in a statement to TechRadar Pro, saying:

“At DuckDuckGo, we make privacy simple. For too long people have been made to believe that privacy online means significant tradeoffs, but that doesn't need to be the case. Like our popular mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an all-in-one privacy solution for everyday browsing with no complicated settings, just a clean, seamless private experience, plus some other cool features we think people will love.”

To join the DuckDuckGo for Mac beta, interested users can join the private waitlist by downloading the DuckDuckGo mobile app, heading to settings and opening DuckDuckGo for Desktop from the “More from DuckDuckGo” section.

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This Google Chrome challenger could be the best browser for private surfing

In addition to its search engine and mobile browser, DuckDuckGo has announced the beta launch of DuckDuckGo for Mac with DuckDuckGo for Windows coming soon.

Just like its mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an all-one-privacy solution for everyday web browsing that doesn’t require complicated settings to protect your online privacy and data.

Alongside its built-in private search engine, the company’s new browser for desktop also features a number of useful security features including a powerful tracker blocker, new cookie pop-up protection, a Fire Button for one-click data clearing, email protection and more, all free of charge.

DuckDuckGo for Mac also ensures you navigate to the HTTPS version of websites more often with its built-in Smarter Encryption. Meanwhile, the company’s tracker blocker prevents users from being exposed to third-party scripts that could try to access their data.

DuckDuckGo for Mac Logins

(Image credit: DuckDuckGo)

A browser designed to protect your privacy

Unlike Incognito mode in Google Chrome which isn’t actually private, DuckDuckGo for Mac is intended to be used as an everyday browser that truly protects user privacy though it also includes other features you’d expect from a modern browser such as password management, tab management, bookmarks and more.

At the same time, DuckDuckGo for Mac is already faster than Chrome using the Motion Mark 1.2 benchmark and since it blocks trackers, the browser uses around 60 percent less data. DuckDuckGo for Mac is able to achieve these high speeds by using Apple’s WebKit rendering engine which is the same one used by Safari.

CEO and founder of DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg provided further insight on the built-in privacy protection in the company’s new browser for Mac in a statement to TechRadar Pro, saying:

“At DuckDuckGo, we make privacy simple. For too long people have been made to believe that privacy online means significant tradeoffs, but that doesn't need to be the case. Like our popular mobile app, DuckDuckGo for Mac is an all-in-one privacy solution for everyday browsing with no complicated settings, just a clean, seamless private experience, plus some other cool features we think people will love.”

To join the DuckDuckGo for Mac beta, interested users can join the private waitlist by downloading the DuckDuckGo mobile app, heading to settings and opening DuckDuckGo for Desktop from the “More from DuckDuckGo” section.

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Microsoft’s browser rivals aren’t happy after it made switching defaults easier

Microsoft's rivals have hit back against the company's recent change to its stance on picking a default browser

The company that got into so much trouble in the 1990s for trying to squeeze rivals made an interesting change with Windows 11: obscuring the option to change the default browser, limiting it to only technically capable users and the very motivated. 

Anyone using Windows 10 could easily change the default with a single click, something that a lot of people did. But that all changed for anyone updating to Microsoft's latest OS. 

All change

While Edge isn't a bad browser, making it the default and then hiding the settings to change that does kind of stink, a point made loudly by its rivals. 

Microsoft even took it a step further and began funnelling links from its services, including the Start Menu, into Edge as well. 

All of that changed in a recent update, however, when Microsoft reintroduced an easy one-click process for changing the default – but instead of being pleased, some of the biggest names in the browser market have now hit back.

Old grudges, widely held

Speaking to The Register, Microsoft's rivals were still not happy with the company and its attempts to make Edge into a dominant browser.

“It has always been our stance that Microsoft, and others like them, should make it easy for users to choose to use the products that suit them,” said Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner. “This should apply to all users, not just the ones who are technically competent enough to realize that they need to install an optional update, and know how to actually do so. It should be installed for all users.” 

“While they have made an attempt, the fact that it has been done the way it has leads to the assumption that it is only being done to avoid being prosecuted for anticompetitive behavior, not to actually solve the underlying problem.”

Mozilla, which actually found a way around the changes, was similarly critical.

“People should have the ability to simply and easily set defaults and all operating systems should offer official developer support for default status,” the company said.

“In practice, we'd like to also see progress on reducing the number of steps required to set a new browser as default, and on opening and making APIs available for apps to set default that other Microsoft applications use.”

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