Anti Browser is now on Android

Anti Browser is now available for Android on Google Play. It's the same link only browser that's been on iPhone, iPad, and Mac: no address bar, no search engine, no feed. It opens the links other apps send it, and nothing else.

If you're on iPhone, nothing changes. This one is for the Android users who've been asking, and for anyone who's been sending this site to a friend with a Pixel or a Galaxy.

What Anti Browser does

Most browsers are built to keep you online. Anti Browser is built to get you back off. A link only browser has no place to type a URL and no way to search Google or Bing, so there's no starting point for a rabbit hole.

What it keeps is the part of the web you actually need:

• Links. A link from a text, an email, or a calendar invite opens like normal.
• QR codes. Scan a restaurant menu or a ticket without opening a full browser. More on that in QR codes without Safari; the idea is the same on Android.
• Quick answers. Without a link, you can look something up on Wikipedia or ask AI for a summary. That covers most "what's the name of that actor" moments.

Get in, get the information, get out.

Why a browser matters on Android too

People delete Instagram and TikTok and then open them in the browser the same afternoon. We've written about this on iPhone, where it happens with Safari: deleted social media, still using Safari. On Android it happens with Chrome.

A blocker would keep Chrome installed and put a timer on it. Anti's approach is to remove instead of block. You delete the apps that pull at you, lock the Play Store so they can't come back, and replace Chrome with a browser that only opens links. You still get Maps, Uber, Spotify, your bank, and your messages. You lose the feed.

How to set it up on Android

Anti Browser includes a built-in guide that walks you through each step on your phone. Here's the outline. Menu names vary between Pixel, Samsung, and other Android phones, so follow the guide for your exact settings.

1. Install what you need first. Before locking anything, install the apps you'll want for the next few months: banking, transit, work, two-factor authentication.
2. Make Anti your default browser. Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps > Browser app and choose Anti Browser. Tap a link in a text message to check that it opens in Anti.
3. Disable Chrome. Chrome usually can't be uninstalled on Android, but it can be disabled from its page in Settings > Apps. If your phone came with a second browser, like Samsung Internet, deal with that one too.
4. Delete the apps that pull at you. Social media, video, news, games. Delete any other browsers while you're there, since a browser with an address bar undoes the whole setup.
5. Lock the Play Store. This is what keeps step 4 from undoing itself a week later. The guide covers how to do it on your phone.

How to stop reinstalling social media apps explains why that last step matters and how to plan for the downloads you'll still need.

An honest note about Android

Android is more open than iPhone. You can install apps from outside the Play Store, and most settings are easier to undo. That's great for choice and less great for locking yourself out of distractions.

So the setup works as friction, not a wall. The aim is to make reinstalling Instagram a deliberate decision you'd have to sit down and make, instead of something you do on autopilot while waiting for the kettle. For most people, that's enough.

What about the Anti Phone System?

The Anti Phone System is still for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows. Gentle Screen Time isn't on Android yet, so the bundle's codes are for Apple devices and Windows PCs. Anti Browser on Android is sold separately through Google Play.

Get it

Anti Browser is on Google Play now. If you want the full walkthrough of turning a phone into a tool, turn your iPhone into a dumbphone covers the thinking behind it. Most of it applies to Android too.

Make your phone a tool, not a toy.