Browsing the web anonymously and privately is becoming increasingly difficult. Everyone wants your data, to know your preferences, your browsing habits, what you watch and listen to. Your first line of defense remains the Tor network, with all its advantages and limitations. Downloading a copy of Tor Browser for Windows is a couple of clicks, but what about Tor Browser on Android? It's very easy: you can get the browser itself, or extend Tor connectivity to your entire device…
Is Tor Browser + Android Viable?
From a certain point of view, the doubts are reasonable: a conventional Android device has elements associated with Google, and the occasional "message to the mothership" is inevitable. Many companies have marketed "secure smartphones" (the Librem 5 comes to mind), but the initial investment is high, and the user has to make too many compromises... or both at once.
Accessing the Tor network through Android emerges as a kind of middle ground. It's not perfect, but it presents a much friendlier panorama for those tired of tracking and the voracity of Big Data, or simply looking for some peace of mind knowing that they hinder data collection. The good news is that you don't need to do anything weird: downloading a couple of apps is more than enough.
Tor Browser for Android
Original and official. We talked about this browser for the first time when it was in alpha, but today it has a stable build with millions of downloads, and its updates show a healthy frequency. The whole process is concentrated in a tap on the Connect button when we open the app, and the link verification in the Tor Network section of the settings menu. If for some reason you can't connect with Tor Browser, try to establish an additional bridge; that should solve any problem.
In essence, the base of Tor Browser for Android is Firefox, as with its desktop version. The integration was completed in November 2020, and at the time of writing, the Tor Browser build is based on release 83.1.0 of the fox. The only two preinstalled extensions are HTTPS Everywhere and NoScript. Nothing prevents you from activating others, but remember: some extensions share data.
Orbot
Orbot should not be interpreted as a browser. In fact, technically it behaves like a proxy, automatically establishing a connection to the Tor network. In the past, accessing Tor from Android required a combination of Orbot and the now-retired Orfox, but that task is now handled by the official Tor Browser. So why would anyone use Orbot?
Simple: with the help of its interface and VPN mode, Orbot gives you the ability to force all the traffic of your apps through the Tor network. Obviously, some of them will scream about it, but you can specify which ones are enabled for Tor at the bottom. Orbot also allows the use of bridges, as well as defining a region. Other Orbot options are starting with the device, background start requested by apps, and a huge number of advanced parameters.
In Summary
Using Tor Browser on Android is as simple as on our desktop systems, but if you want to go beyond the official browser, Orbot will extend the benefits of the Tor network to the entire device. As always, it is necessary to highlight an important loss in browsing speed, and an increase in captcha requests from several sites. Apart from that, it works very well. Give it a try!
