monocles Browser#

A privacy - enhancing Browser for Android devices.#

Features#

Easy to use#

Native look on Android, with all the necessary functions easily accessible.

Privacy-Focussed with several quality-of-life features set by default.#

  • Blocks JavaScript

  • Blocks Cookies

  • Blocks Ads (integrated AdBlocker using EasyList Blocklist)

Compact Size#

At currently < 16 MB it's relaitvely small.

Use with Tor#

monocles Browser supports using Orbot for using Tor network and "torify" it's traffic as well as access Servers with .onion Domains, which are known as Onion Services.

Monocles Browser is preconfigured with the default settings of Orbot in that configuration, if you activate it.

  • If you configured the Ports differently, you need to adjust those in the Settings as well.

Downloads#

F-Droid#

We recommend using F-Droid in case you want to sideload the App onto devices without Google Play or F-Droid.

  • However it is highly recommended to install F-Droid in order to get updates and notification about new Versions when they are available.
[Google Play]#

Google Play will require you to have a device with Google Apps installed on them as well as a Google Account.

  • These may however not be available to you or in your juristiction.

Limitations and Known Issues#

Security Issues#
As monocles Browser is based upon the WebView component, it is dependant of the underlying Android ROM and it's updates.#

We thus recommend to use the latest available Version of Android for your device and - if necessary - upgrade to an aftermarket ROM like:

If a device has no modern firmware updates anymore and Aftermarket - Firmware ist just not available, then please consider a different Browser like Fennec, which is privacy-enhanced version of Firefox for Android nee Firefox Mobile or Tor Browser which you can also get via F-Droid by adding or enabling the Guardian Project repository.#

monocles Browser can't protect against security issues based upon the underlying component that is hard-coded into Android.

  • We thus can't fix issues unless they are applicable and reproduceable in the lastest vanilla Android version AND not caused by WebView.
Functions ceasing to work#
I.e. "I can't make a photo / video from within the App"#

This is a feature of Android since Version 12 and subsequently Android-ROMs/Distributions like GrapheneOS: (Unused) Apps get their permissions revoked (if the associated intents are not being used).

  • This is done to combat malware that requests excessive permissions and data.
The only known option is to reeenable said permissions in the Settings App under Apps -> monocles browser -> Permissions.#