# Alternative to Brave (Android) **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/alternative-to-brave-android/15790 **Category:** Questions **Created:** 2023-12-23T21:45:39Z **Posts:** 20 ## Post 1 by @FlipSid — 2023-12-23T21:45:39Z Hey there, Coming along great on my privacy journey. Still a lot of work but getting there: > [@What is Your Private Phone setup?](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/what-is-your-private-phone-setup/97/94): > > Still Building but so far: Pixel 7 Pro GrapheneOS 4G-Only Browsing Vanadium Messenger Signal (leaving WhatsApp as far as possible) SMS Google Messages Gallery Google Gallery Dailer app Google Phone Clock Google (without permissions) Contacts Google (too lazy to keep up on syncing) Email Proton Mail Plus Email aliases Mozmail T-Online Freemail (Decent T&C) VPN iVPN Calendar Proton Unlimited Security / Paßwords Bitwarden Tracking Trackers Exodus Streaming / YouTube Gr… Will keep that updated. Anyway a question arose…again :grin: Mull, this Firefox fork is privacy hardened ✓ check. Compared to standard Firefox and Fennec also Security hardend? Any insight :thinking:? As alternative I’m also looking at privacy browser. Probably overthinking it, but on the search for a second browser. For now Brave is doing it’s daily job --- ## Post 2 by @anon85295620 — 2023-12-23T22:15:53Z I’m enjoying Cromite as my main browser. Brave for any site where I log in. --- ## Post 3 by @FlipSid — 2023-12-23T22:20:12Z Cromite is not on F-Droid though? Bromite Chromite etc, having a hard time understanding which one is up to date and which one not :zany_face: Still the most curious about Mull --- ## Post 4 by @anon85295620 — 2023-12-23T22:28:28Z Bromite got it’s last update over a year ago. Cromite is a fork of Bromite. There is a Cromite repo in f-droid but I just install it from Github which allows Cromite to update itself. [Releases · uazo/cromite · GitHub](https://github.com/uazo/cromite/releases) I install arm64\_ChromePublic.apk --- ## Post 5 by @anon63378630 — 2023-12-23T22:45:51Z Please see my table here: [https://divestos.org/pages/browsers](https://divestos.org/pages/browsers) --- ## Post 6 by @FlipSid — 2023-12-23T23:59:59Z Since Cromite does not use Google Safe Browsing are there specific settings to change in the browser besides force https? --- ## Post 7 by @anon85295620 — 2023-12-24T00:36:51Z I have questions about your page if you don’t mind. It’s recommended that Vanadium be used only in GrapheneOS. Did you test the browser from within GOS or install it in another OS? Cromite has much more than basic content blocking. I assume back in September, the last time your page was updated, it didn’t have Adblock Plus in the settings. Would this be a fair statement? Thanks --- ## Post 8 by @anon85295620 — 2023-12-24T00:50:57Z I never use Safe Browsing so I didn’t even realize it wasn’t available. I find this odd when Google is the default search engine. I set the browser to wipe all browsing data, I use https no matter what, set history to none, turn on Adblock Plus and add a few blocklists, and I change the search engine. --- ## Post 9 by @anon63378630 — 2023-12-24T00:52:22Z @FlipSid did you see [https://divestos.org/pages/browsers#tuningChromium](https://divestos.org/pages/browsers#tuningChromium) ? > [@I clicked on a virus link, What to do now?](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/i-clicked-on-a-virus-link-what-to-do-now/14877/4): > > - Chrome, Vanadium, and Mulch only have Safe Browsing if you have real Google Play Services installed. > - Bromite, Cromite, Mull, and Fennec F-Droid do not support Safe Browsing. > - Official Firefox on Android doesn’t depend on Google Play Services for Safe Browsing. @anon85295620 I’ve never used Vanadium personally, but my Mulch is close fork of it. Thanks, I’ve updated the Cromite entry for that. --- ## Post 10 by @FlipSid — 2023-12-24T01:44:08Z @anon63378630: I did, but kind of missed out on the Mulch/Vanadium/Bromite( **Cromite** )/Chromium. Thanks for the push in the direction though. Still kind of having a hard time piecing stuff together, since I have no (well almost) idea what makes a secure browser other than; [https://divestos.org/pages/browsers#tuningChromium](https://divestos.org/pages/browsers#tuningChromium) I would want (should) use Chromium because of per-site process isolation. What else keeps me safe online? Dunno (Google safe browsing and edge smart screen come to mind but privacy…) @anon85295620 that’s a good idea. I have a few I could/would add. **strong text** --- ## Post 11 by @anon85295620 — 2023-12-24T09:26:43Z [https://privacytests.org/](https://privacytests.org/) is another browser test site. A couple of things: 1/ The dev works for Brave. 2/ The site was started long before he worked for Brave. 3/ The dev has in his employment contract that the project will remain independent. 4/ All the test are open-source and the results can be checked. 5/ Many mobile browsers are not in the list - Vanadium, Cromite, Mulch. --- ## Post 12 by @lepras — 2023-12-24T10:32:26Z I use a mix of mull, mulch, fenec, cromite, Tor etc and keep them updated through this app. > **[FFUpdater | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository](https://f-droid.org/packages/de.marmaro.krt.ffupdater/)** > > Updater for privacy friendly browsers --- ## Post 13 by @FlipSid — 2023-12-29T18:46:53Z Well it’s Mull. After using it more, for one to get the feel for it and to set up ublock origin (going for medium mode blocking 3rd party frames definitely and 3rd party Skripts maby) I’m liking it so much that Brave might end up being the second browser :sweat_smile: Or third, parallel settings up Firefox from the play store… Heads up Tad :heart: --- ## Post 14 by @FlipSid — 2024-03-06T19:37:43Z > [@FlipSid](#): > > not use Google Safe Browsing I **not** using googles safe browsing a security risk? I ask because some Chrome forks deactivate it, others (like Brave) dont. :thinking: Back in the day I would just use standard chrome (standard protect I believe) and not worrying at all. :joy: --- ## Post 15 by @Sharply — 2024-03-06T20:12:51Z > I **not** using googles safe browsing a security risk? Yeah, it can be, since you’d be less protected from malware/phishing/etc. I don’t think it’s the end of the world though, as long as you have other protection in place. I’d recommend following @SkewedZeppelin’s advice here. It’s important to always have a layered approach, regardless of if you use Safe Browsing or not. > [@I clicked on a virus link, What to do now?](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/i-clicked-on-a-virus-link-what-to-do-now/14877/4): > > That website is actually malware and loading the certificate does involve making a connection to it. I personally recommend using a DNS like Quad9 or DNS0 at a minimum for some protection against these known sites. Both have it already blocked. Cloudflare’s security variant doesn’t. A layered approach to this is best, eg.: blocking known bad IP addresses DNS blocking some known ads/malware with a service like Quad9 as the upstream. doing both here is critical, using some malware blocklists t… --- ## Post 16 by @FlipSid — 2024-03-06T22:27:20Z Ok. I’ll figure out if I’ll use Vanadium without the safe browsing, as it doesn’t work atm, or make a jump back to Brave (where Bitwarden won’t autofill) until it’s fixed then :+1:t5: --- ## Post 17 by @Viper — 2024-03-07T17:04:55Z Don’t rely on only 1 source of information. Eg PG’s. Get info from other places, like GOS forum, Michael Bazzell etc. Understand the world we live in. Money first world. And therefore everyone is gonna push for their product. Make your own decisions. Some parts of PG’s i do not agree and therefore don’t do. Keep learning. Well done so far. :hugs: --- ## Post 18 by @FlipSid — 2024-03-07T22:02:08Z @Viper good point. I’m not only active here, but using many sources. GrapheneOS Forum is one of them and a few sources like: > **[Articles | Madaidan's Insecurities](https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/index.html)** For example. But sometimes a question crops up, like now with googles safe browsing (or enhanced safe browsing)… And on that it’s hard to find objective sources. For me “google is bad” is not objective. All in all I’m the “give me the raw info’s” I’ll make my own decisions kind of guy. --- ## Post 19 by @quitet.gear — 2024-03-08T07:15:41Z I’d like to clarify also that you shouldn’t rely on Google Safe Browsing for staying safe online. It might be a nice to have for a piece of mind, but you should follow security practises that prevent you falling victim of the kinds of attacks Google Safe Browsing protects you from. Google Safe Browsing is just [enumerating badness](https://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/editorials/dumb/), so it’s impossible for it to cover 100% of the malicious sites, therefore you should assume that it won’t prevent you from hitting a malicious site. In other words, Google Safe Browsing isn’t a replacement for good opsec. From my point of view, any tool that enumerates badness is not a security tool but a quality of life tool. Nice to have, but I won’t rely on them to stay safe. --- ## Post 20 by @FlipSid — 2024-03-08T15:58:11Z Thank you for your reply. And reminder. Enumerating badness does not work, is something I heard / read many times. Be it from Madaidan, or Daniel Micay: > **[Reddit - The heart of the internet](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrapheneOS/comments/bg03np/browsers/?rdt=58179)** Thing is, I have never had a Issue with googles safe browsing, nor have I had it block a site for me for that matter. It’s just that, it “could” be a security layer that “could” be useful. And this “could” is what is causing me brain damage. Layering like; Safe browsing; Quad9 or dns0/zero; All the hardening of GrapheneOS. Safety practice while surfing. Etc. I actually could extend that could to why use Quad9, never Malware with my ISP’s DNS Resolver… **Brain damage** :joy: As for Microsofts SmartScreen I have more confidence in that blocking malicious sites than googles safe browsing but then again it is (somewhat) invasive and not implemented in Vanadium, but Edge. I’ll go on the search for googles enhanced safe browsing white paper… Edit More invasive than SmartScreen ^^