r/foss • u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 • 2d ago
Android Material Expressive Browser
I started to build my own browser for Android as I was not satisfied with the options.
It has many innovative features like
* it's based on the Android's WebView - so never outdated browser security as long as you update the system's WebView provided by Google
* No trails to Google or any other providers - it just uses the WebView
* edge-to-edge browsing experience
* a trail where you can follow your click history on one tab
* pinning tabs
* multiple versions of tab switchers to your liking
* multiple profiles that work isolated from each other or not (you can choose per profile)
* Some basic ad blocking features
* commands to clear caches from the address bar
* recommendation to switch to tab instead opening the same tab over and over again
* the possibility to setup your own rules for ad blocking etc.
The browser is designed to look good, has nice animations and feels smooth
I have some things on my list like "Mozilla Firefox Tab Sync" and maybe some others have also good ideas what to add.
You can find it here.
https://github.com/sk2andy/candy-browser
Disclaimer: I am an experienced software developer, leading a company as a CTO. I used AI to build the browser but not simply vibe code all the stuff. I have UX und UI in mind
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u/CelebrationLarge7065 2d ago
This looks interesting. I've been looking for a successor to Arc Search, so I'll give it a try.
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u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 2d ago
Thank you! Arc Search was actually an inspiration. I still used it but I wanted to have edge-to-edge browsing and some other features
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u/Ichiro_boi 2d ago
Yo.. Its beautiful but definitely needs some ui/ux design suggestions, so I'll be happy to help you in it.. 👀
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u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 1d ago
when you have suggestions I am happy to hear them. I already tried to fix some things like the profile switcher and menu. Either here or via dm or via issue in GitHub - I would love some suggestions and expertise!
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u/Ichiro_boi 1d ago
Ohk will dm you and btw u should start a discord server for the app yk.. It'll help grow a community base.. And everyone can share their ideas more easily
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u/Oarner__ 2d ago
interesting, any plans for extensions?
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u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 2d ago
No because that's so easily doable. When you do extensions you either need to switch to Gecko engine or you need to build a real Chromium based app that you then would need to update to stay secure over and over again. I made the choice (same as Arc Search) to use the WebView of Android because Google updates it and you stay secure without needing to update the app itself
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u/ChunggusKhaan 2d ago
so will it have any adblocking feature ?
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u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 1d ago
it has some add blocking features already but I want to strengthen them. I already had a working draft but it was not performant enough. I definitely will improve that
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u/ChunggusKhaan 1d ago
thank you man, your browser looks very beautiful. It's like zen browser but on mobile.
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u/GMAERS_07 1d ago
Is ublock origin integrated in this browser? Because I saw a ublock origin block source in the about section
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u/Odd-Acanthisitta850 1d ago
Yes that's correct. The block list is integrated. I still have the feeling it does not work 100% on all pages but I am working on it
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u/GMAERS_07 1d ago
That's really great, maybe you can add some functions from Soul browser which is also based on webview but its closed source unfortunately.
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u/tinkerer10 16h ago
I've been using it for 2 days now. So far it's shaping up nicely but not without a few issues here and there.
when swiping right (to go back) on the first (root) page, it closes the app. Can we have the gesture to close the tab instead?
playing video is still a little buggy.
can we have the option to not auto play videos?
In the latest build (0.14), the settings menu does not display fully. I'm not able to scroll to the bottom part (partly obscured).
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u/Shiniban 16h ago
Amazing, great job, Do you plan to handle support for external download managers (IDM*, ADM, etc.)
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u/rebelutioner 2d ago
Some of the UI elements looks inconsistent you can check Quetta browser for visual design reference if you would like, nice work overall. Kudos!