I happen to like the way Chrome for Android looks and works, but the introduction of Arc Search earlier this month piqued my interest like no other mobile browser.

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What I call Chrome’s “forever UI” goes back to the idea of ​​having as minimal an interface with the web as possible. On the contrary, the mobile browser has respected this principle better than the desktop version over the last decade.

The main user interface on Android is just an address bar and a few buttons at the top. A bar for tab groups at the bottom has been the other main addition in recent years, while it has been a grid of tabs (instead of a list) for some time now.

This immutable interface provides nice consistency while every other aspect of Android changes. I kind of equate it to a reliable, reliable tool.

Amusing

On the other hand, I find Arc Search for Android fun, which I’m not sure I’ve ever considered a browser to be. Beyond the novelty of the new features, it has a simple design.

The tab switcher is represented in a quirky way with previews that seem too small to be really useful, while the entire user interface is a carousel of web pages. On the other side, you have an upward-facing chevron for conventional controls like the address bar and other settings. I like the button that lets you copy the current page, while you have standard navigation arrows here, although system gestures are more than enough to go back.

The more centered button lets you open a new tab with a clear preference for entering search terms rather than URLs. This shouldn’t be too surprising given the browser’s name (“Arc Search”), but automatic tab archiving — with increments ranging from 12 hours to 30 days, with no option to opt out — makes for a truly clutter-free experience. . brings back to this point. There is also a method to automatically open the keyboard when launching the application, which once again demonstrates the focus on new queries on existing tabs and then on the application.

It’s a fun browser that I use so far for quick searches and Wikipedia. This simplicity and search focus borders on opinion before we even get into the main aspects of Arc Search.

Misfortune

Arc Search is a savvy browser. To provide a simple browsing experience, Arc Search will crawl the web for you and block ads.

As a Chrome for Android user, I obviously haven’t used an ad blocker on mobile given the lack of extension support.

I completely understand why people feel the need to browse the modern web with an ad blocker. Everyone has seen pages where the majority of content is covered by ads, or worse, auto-playing videos. It’s just not a good experience that actively misdirects information. When I expect to read text, I absolutely hate anything that moves and is distracting, and browsing the web with Arc Search eliminates most of that.

On the other hand, I’m fully aware that ads are responsible for making the modern web possible. Much of the content is available for free due to the ad-supported model, and I feel some trepidation using Arc Search.

Over the years, the default expectation has been that everything on the web is free. I think the modern Internet user is only vaguely aware of the advertising = free offer. When they are annoyed by a lot of ads on a page, I don’t think “at least it’s free” comes to mind.

Luckily, you can disable the ad blocker in Arc Search if you just like the browser’s UX ideas.

None of these thoughts on the use of ad blockers are particularly new or will advance their widespread and unhesitating use. I just wish the use of ad blockers would come with some recognition or awareness of the other side of this dynamic.