There are many web browsers available, and it becomes increasingly difficult to make out the differences between them. Choosing the right browser is for most a matter of convenience: Fast, curteous, connected to all your favorite services to have all your personal information at hand. It makes it easy to sign up, log in, purchase, or comment. In this article I get you covered on how to browse securely with the new DuckDuckGo browser on iOS!
We might not want to integrate fully with all our social profiles all the time. There are times when you want to explore new areas. Maybe you want to dive into a topic you don’t want yourself to be associated with publicly. Or maybe the idea of all information about yourself being stored in central services doesn’t appeal to you at all. This is when you should think about choosing a new web browser. Maybe not for all day to day tasks (we all like a little convenience), but maybe just as a second option.
This is where DuckDuckGo comes to your aid. They have been famous for their privacy focused search engine since 2008, and now they presented their browser app, available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Additionally, it is available as browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari – so all major and most common browser are covered. Great!
The Main Features
I will show you what it means to browse securely with the new DuckDuckGo browser. It sports a set of vital features to avoid tracking, but it also let’s you know about it. Here is the list of the most important features:
- Integrates Private Search with DuckDuckGo
- It features Blocks for Tracker (using Global Privacy Control (GPC))
- It features Blocks for weird and creepy Ads
- It includes Blocks for Cookie Pop-ups (DuckDuckGo can manage cookie consent pop-ups for you)
- Blocks E-Mail Trackers
- Informs you about what it blocked
These are all great features. In addition to that, the DuckDuckGo browser app has a nifty feature to one-click close all tabs and clear all data. You won’t leave traces of your activities on your device (mind you though, your ISP knows). Simply tap the flame button at the bottom, confirm, and let it burn away. You end up with a clean slate afterwards. You can even choose an animation (“Inferno”, “Whirlpool”, “Airstream”, or “None” if you don’t care). Below shows screens from the iOS app.
If you’d like to keep the data of any particular site that you want to keep being signed in to, you can “Fireproof” it.
Convenience vs. Staying Safe
I’ve seen my fair share of safe and secure tools over time. Most concepts are sound and really keep you safe in many cases. Many of them though did so by sacrificing convenience. People tend to go the easy route, especially when they are not aware of the intricate dangers that lurk on the net. WhatsApp has been a tremendous success, partly because you didn’t have to sign in (which was rather new at the time) – you gave it your phone number, confirmed that, and it handled the authentication in the background (the password was made to be part of the phone’s hardware IDs).
That’s why I’ve been impressed with DuckDuckGo: It’s sleek, fast, looks nice, and has all the features I would want from a browser. On desktop and mobile. I use it on Windows, Ubuntu, and my iPhone on a daily basis – and I haven’t been disappointed so far.
If you’re still not sold on trying it out, here are some more customization options. Changing the color of the app, and adding a search widget to your home screen. This allows you to integrate the DuckDuckGo browser app into your own workflow better!
So if you’re mindful of your own safety online, give the DuckDuckGo browser a try and you won’t have to trade your own peace of mind for convenience. Browsing doesn’t have to be the only activity you’re staying safe with online. Check my post on the safe TeleGuard messenger! If you have thoughts about the DuckDuckGo app or this article or want to reach out to likeminded folks, comment below to get the conversation started!