We have all been waiting for the Tor browser to bring their official app to Android and it is finally here. The app has been long due since Tor Project announced that they had begun working on a new browser for Android. Previously users could connect to Tor on Android with Orbot/Orfox but now the app now on its first stable release is a fully integrated package.
How it works is that the Tor Browser funnels your web traffic through the Tor network which is a web of encrypted computers spread across the world. Your traffic will bounce between the nodes in the network before reaching your destination thus preserving your privacy. This also lets you circumvent geo-restricted content via the network. Your data gets encrypted too so there’s no interception between relays thus leaving no traces on websites you visit.
Mobile browsing is increasing around the world, and in some parts, it is commonly the only way people access the internet. In these same areas, there is often heavy surveillance and censorship online, so we made it a priority to reach these users.
~ the company wrote in a blog post.
The app is based on Firefox v60 so the interface and features will be similar such as private mode and tabbed browsing. The app will, however, lack features found on the desktop app but with the Android app, you’ll get:
- cross-site tracking prevention mechanism
- defense against fingerprinting attacks which is a type of attack to sniff web traffic without breaking encryption
The Tor Browser app cuts the need of connecting to Orbot as it is inbuilt and will connect automatically when you launch the app to anonymize your browsing activities. Worth noting is that using the browser won’t be easy since lots of users are using the servers and you might be mistaken for a bot.
No iOS App
The Tor Project said that there’s no iOS app since Apple blocks the much-needed computing processes and forces browser engines to use its own engine. An alternative is to use the Onion Browser for iPhone and iPad.
