New Update Helium Browser for Android - Comes with extensions support

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HarborFront

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I'm spinning it now.

After the demise of Kiwi browser with extensions support for chromium here comes Helium Browser for Android with extensions support and built-in WebRTC Leak protection. It accepts full uBO (not uBO Lite) extension.

An experimental Chromium-based web browser for Android with extensions support, based on

It's a bare browser so whatever extensions need to be installed is via Chrome Web Store. As of now it's Helium v148.0.7778.167 latest version

Can get it from Github below

github.com

GitHub - jqssun/android-helium-browser: Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions

Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions - jqssun/android-helium-browser
github.com github.com

1779006680138.png



Hopefully, it inherits all the pros from Helium, Ungoogled Chromium (by Eloston) and Vanadium
 
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HarborFront said:
I'm spinning it now.

After the demise of Kiwi browser with extensions support for chromium here comes Helium Browser for Android with extensions support and built-in WebRTC Leak protection. It accepts uBO (not uBO Lite) extension.

An experimental Chromium-based web browser for Android with extensions support, based on

It's a bare browser so whatever extensions need to be installed is via Chrome Web Store. As of now it's Helium v148.0.7778.167 latest version

Can get it from Github below

github.com

GitHub - jqssun/android-helium-browser: Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions

Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions - jqssun/android-helium-browser
github.com github.com

View attachment 297682


Hopefully, it inherits all the pros from Helium, Ungoogled Chromium (by Eloston) and Vanadium
Click to expand...
It looks interesting, but I would be careful about assuming it inherits all of the security benefits of Helium, Ungoogled Chromium, and Vanadium just because it is based on them.

A few important points

  • A Chromium fork can include code from those projects without fully preserving their security model.
  • Vanadium in particular is tightly tied to GrapheneOS hardening choices, update cadence, and platform-level protections. Those benefits do not automatically transfer to a different Android browser build.
  • Ungoogled Chromium focuses more on de-Googling and privacy-related changes than on being a drop-in security-hardening layer for every fork.
  • Extension support on Android is useful, but it also increases attack surface compared with a more minimal browser setup.

About uBO support

If it really accepts full uBlock Origin rather than uBO Lite, that will be a major attraction for many users. Still, there are a few practical caveats:

  • Manifest support and extension compatibility can change over time.
  • Not every desktop extension behaves reliably on Android Chromium forks.
  • Installing extensions from the Chrome Web Store in an unofficial Android browser should be treated carefully until the project has built some reputation and community testing.

What I would want to verify first

  • How quickly it receives Chromium security updates after upstream releases
  • Whether the builds are reproducible or at least transparently documented
  • Who maintains the project and how active the development is
  • Whether WebRTC leak protection is documented clearly, rather than only mentioned as a feature
  • Whether extension installation is sandboxed and handled in a way that does not weaken browser isolation

Practical takeaway

As an experimental browser, it may be worth testing, especially for users who miss Kiwi-style extension support. But I would not yet treat it as automatically equivalent to Vanadium or assume it carries the same hardening guarantees.

The safest position for now is to view it as a promising Chromium fork with extension support, not as a proven high-security browser until its maintenance, patch speed, and security design are better established.
 
Helium Browser is a great idea. Unfortunately, I think it will stay on that. Development is REALLY, REALLY slow and even after a year, it's still in early alpha phase. Their website says it's only two of them maintaining the product, so I wonder what happens to the project once stable version is released. Two people can't maintain the project alone, especially if maintaining a web browser isn't their main job.
 
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Marko :) said:
Helium Browser is a great idea. Unfortunately, I think it will stay on that. Development is REALLY, REALLY slow and even after a year, it's still in early alpha phase. Their website says it's only two of them maintaining the product, so I wonder what happens to the project once stable version is released. Two people can't maintain the project alone, especially if maintaining a web browser isn't their main job.
Click to expand...

Last time what I know was Kiwi browser was maintained by a single person
 
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HarborFront said:
Last time what I know was Kiwi browser was maintained by a single person
Click to expand...
Yes, it was. And it was delaying updates A LOT; it was pretty much always few versions behind the actual Chromium version. Hence the reason why I question Helium Browser as well.
 
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Marko :) said:
Yes, it was. And it was delaying updates A LOT; it was pretty much always few versions behind the actual Chromium version. Hence the reason why I question Helium Browser as well.
Click to expand...

This android Helium browser just started from chromium v141 so it's pretty new. You can check it's releases.
 
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HarborFront said:
Every new browser released will have to go through such a phase
Click to expand...
Absolutely! I tend to use more popular, well known software and apps though. If Helium for Android will be developed at the speed of their desktop counterpart, we might see a stable version in the next ten years.
 
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First issue found.

Search bar display is not good. Too crowded. I need to tap to open the whole search bar. Need to improve.



Second issue

Still need Dark Reader extension to settle between showing alert icons clearly on MWT forums and displaying all web contents in dark mode for web pages. The two default dark mode flag settings cannot handle both issues at the same time
 
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v148.0.7778.178 released

github.com

Release v148.0.7778.178 · jqssun/android-helium-browser

Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions - Release v148.0.7778.178 · jqssun/android-helium-browser
github.com github.com

UG still not release yet. Still at 167. Similar for Brave as of this posting

 
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As I go along and know more about the browser I'll post the pros and cons of it. Many are concerned that with the addition of extensions it will make the browser outstanding and unique. Anyway Helium is a niche browser so by nature it's already unique. Adding extensions won't make it a more unique browser than original unlike those mainstream browsers.

Pros

1) Supports split-view (multi windows)
2) Can strengthen against fingerprinting, ads/trackers etc through extensions
3) Supports uBlock Origin full version
4) Built-in WebRTC leak protection

Cons

1) When phone is folded, the search bar display is crowded. Need to improve (see post #10 above)
2) When phone is folded, no support for bookmark bar. When unfolded there's a bookmark bar
3) No stacked tabbing support unlike Vivaldi
4) Still need Dark Reader extension to display alert icons in MWT and web contents in dark mode for all web sites correctly in both cases
5) No release note on new version
 
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Found one more issue

Cannot update extension. Just tried updating APIVoid Script Stop from current v1.2 to new 1.4 but would not work. Developer mode enabled.

So now need to remove the extension and then add new. And need manually to check other extensions for update
 
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Warning

All builds are experimental, so unexpected issues may occur. Helium Browser for Android only attempts to improve security and privacy where possible. For better protection on Android, you should instead use GrapheneOS with Vanadium, which additionally integrates patches into Android System WebView and provides significant kernel and memory management hardening on the OS level.
Click to expand...
GitHub - jqssun/android-helium-browser: Private and secure Android browser with support for browser extensions
 
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