The startup responsible for the alternative Arc browser, The Browser Company, has announced the release of a new Arc Search application for Android in open beta format – the developer intends to make it a cross-platform application.
Image source: play.google.com
Initially, the Arc browser existed only in the Apple ecosystem, but then the company released its version for Windows. The new Arc Search for Android was tested for four weeks as part of a closed beta testing program with the participation of 18,000 users. The Arc Search browser for iPhone was released earlier this year, and its main purpose was to search for information. Its central function, Browse for Me, which has now appeared for Android, assumes that the browser independently views several pages at the user’s request and, instead of traditional search results, generates a page with a summary of information and links to sources.
The company recognizes that, for example, when searching for a recipe, a user usually has to look through a large amount of material before finding the information they need. Based on artificial intelligence, Browse for Me filters out information noise and provides a relevant answer. This approach is sometimes criticized – small sites whose texts are used to compile the summary are deprived of visitors. The Browser Company CEO Josh Miller promised that the company will improve the mechanism for citing results so that users click on links more often.
The Android app includes an ad blocker, pop-up blocker, and banner blocker, as well as an automatic tab archiving feature. The public version of Arc Search for Android will be released before the end of autumn. Some functions present on iOS are missing in the Android version – in particular, Pinch to summary and Call to ask. Arc Search now has 1.6 million total downloads on iOS. Mr. Miller hinted that the company’s products will become a paid product for consumers and businesses by the time the second version is released.