Arc, a browser initially designed only for Mac, has recently expanded. The Browser Company announced a beta version of its Windows version last monthand today they bring the Arc experience to iPhone with arc search. As the name suggests, the new app focuses on search: when you open the app, you're met with a keyboard and search box, not your usual collection of tabs. And rather than just serving up simple search results from Google or your engine of choice, Arc scans the internet for various sources and creates a “for me page” that gathers a bunch of information about your desired query.
For example, I just searched for “What happened at the Detroit Lions game?” ” and received details on a controversial two-point conversion that was overturned and how it ultimately affected the outcome of the game, which was a three-point loss for the Lions. It follows with some better search results, team reactions, more details on the refs involved in the confusing call, fan sentiments and more links to dive into.
This is no different from the kind of summaries you get in Google's generative search results, but so far I find the results to be very hit and miss. For example, in the Lions query mentioned above, the actual final score of the game was nowhere to be found on the Arc-generated page. This is pretty basic information that you would expect to see at the top. Other queries I tried brought back a decent overview but not much in-depth detail, and sometimes there were no other links to click on to continue searching. This struck me as odd, as the results I received were far from complete.
However, if you are not interested in this type of summary pages, you can always just enter a query and press the “Go” button on the keyboard to search on Google; You only get the summary pages created by Arc if you press the “Browse for me” button. You can also just enter a URL directly into the search box and go straight to a site if you want. Like the desktop Arc Browser, the Arc Search app archives your tabs after 24 hours so you don't accumulate a never-ending log of sites you won't return to (you can also choose to keep tabs as you go). gradually). up to 30 days, if you need more time with what you have recovered). And there's a nice “reader” mode, like the one you'll find in Safari, that cuts through the clutter found on many modern websites to make an article easier to read. It also blocks trackers, ads and banners by default, which is very convenient.
From what I can tell, there's no way to sync Arc Search with the desktop browser – there's no way to see open tabs on another machine, and I don't even think that There is a way to log in to Arc Search with the account you create. your desktop browser. The only thing you can do with your open tabs is star one so they don't close, but there is otherwise no bookmark or “read later” functionality.
As the name suggests, it's a way to search and find the information you need on your phone without offering the expected tools you'd get in a full web browser. This makes it a bit of a tough sell for me – I love Arc on my Mac, and so far it seems like a decidedly less useful experience than the full version of Arc, let alone Safari or Chrome on iOS. While there's something to be said for simplicity, I don't think AI-generated summaries are worth making it my default mobile web browser.
That said, Browser Company likes to put things out in the wild so its users can test them, push them, and figure out what's not working, so I'm sure the iterations and improvements will come quickly. The company says it is already working on synchronization with the desktop and also plans to merge the application with the functionality of the “Arc Mobile Companion” application launched last spring. This app, which has now been removed from the App Store, only Shows you tabs you have open on other devices and returns them to Safari (or other apps) for viewing. So it's safe to say that the new Arc app will soon be more capable. And while it's not yet something I want to use as my default browser, Arc's original take on how a browser works is enough for me to keep an eye on it and see how it evolves.