Hands-on with Bare: a lightweight Android Chromium browser that refuses to let Manifest V2 die

An open-source Chromium browser called Bare just arrived on the Google Play Store after building a following on GitHub. To see if it holds up to the claims, I gave it a try.

Right away, the app feels super clean and minimal, yet unlike some other stripped-down browsers out there, it keeps the practical features most people actually look for in a daily driver.

Opening the app brings up a quick setup flow where you can pick DuckDuckGo with AI turned off, enable the bundled uBlock Origin ad blocker, and move the address bar to the bottom of the screen. The next screen gives you simple toggles for background media playback so audio keeps playing with your screen locked, alongside an option to route files through external download managers.

The best part is support for extensions, including older Manifest V2 add-ons that Google has been phasing out. Even though bigger names like Vivaldi have started adding extension support on Android and Brave is working on mobile extensions of its own, Bare seems to be one of the only truly minimal browsers to offer the same right now.

You can manage your add-ons right from the toolbar menu, where uBlock Origin comes ready to go out of the box. Grabbing more extensions from the Chrome Web Store currently requires switching the page to desktop mode first.

That said, the developer noted on Reddit that a workaround for installing directly from the mobile view will arrive in the next build.

Jumping into the main extensions page also shows options to load unpacked files or install add-ons straight from CRX files, plus a Community Extensions button marked as coming soon. The three-person team behind the app says that the upcoming hub will let users submit verified links for extensions that are not listed on Google’s store.

“I built it because I wanted a browser without all the extra services, wallets, or questions about what happens to my data,” the creator explained in the announcement thread. “I didn’t even add in-app donations because I hate seeing that ‘In-app purchases’ label. I just wanted a truly bare browser!”

Beyond extensions, you get mobile-optimized developer tools, Bitwarden and passkey support, AMOLED dark mode, and long-press downloads for social media videos. The developers are also testing vertical tabs on the Pixel Fold right now, preparing an F-Droid release, and experimenting with an iOS version.

In my testing, the browser worked fine, and I did not notice any crashes or bugs. Of course, I have not extensively tested it yet since it is a new kid on the block, and in my personal usage, I am still inclined to stick with Brave since I have it set as the default on all my smartphones, plus on my Linux machine where I have Brave Origin installed.

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