The Arc browser has been gaining traction since its launch in 2022 for Apple devices. Now, the browser is getting some cool new features, including its own ad blocker and tracking prevention.
Arc is based on Chromium and only recently came to Windows 11 (after debuting on Macs and iOS), and its developer, The Browser Company, is trying to please users of the most popular and best web browsers (such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge) by offering a competitive and hopefully better browsing experience.
An experience that will be further enhanced by the arrival of said features, which were revealed as part of a recent email announcing an ‘Early Bird’ program for Arc (as shared by Newwin). This is a community of testers who try out the latest (preview) versions of Arc and provide feedback to improve features before they are released. In essence, it’s similar to Microsoft’s own Insider Programs for Edge (and Windows, of course).
In this email, the Arc developer proclaimed that he wants to build a “cleaner internet” with fewer popups, ads, and banners, making it easier to focus on what you’re actually doing in the browser. The Browser Company cites Chrome’s transition to Manifest V3 as the motivation for this update, and that the adblocker feature is still in development, but clarifies that it will be available soon.
Manifest V3 is a major update to Chrome’s extension platform that changes the way browser extensions interact with web pages. Specifically, it will limit the capabilities of certain extensions, including their ability to block ads and modify page content.
Since Arc is built on Google’s Chromium engine, Manifest V3 will impact the browser. As such, Arc’s developer says he wants to keep the browser “clutter-free” with his own integrated ad blocker, which is not affected by Manifest V3.
Want to be the first to know about Arc’s new features?
The new ad blocking and tracking prevention features aren’t available yet, but if you’d like to try them out when they do, you can sign up for Arc’s Early Bird program. Because these features will still be in testing when they’re released, their implementation may change before they’re released to the general public in the finished version of Arc.
If you would like to register for the Early Bird Program click on this linkthen click on ‘Join our next cohort’ and you’ll be asked to provide some details, such as your Arc account details and your level of technical knowledge. Otherwise, you can wait for these exciting new features to arrive when they’re deemed ready for general release.
We tried Arc ourselves and we’re impressed with what we’ve seen so far. It offers a lot of built-in apps and features, which aims to be a sort of web browsing operating system. The developer focuses on creating a clean, uncluttered interface, and that shows in Arc’s thoughtful design. If you’re curious and want to try an alternative to the usual browsers, you can see Arc yourself.