- See how Incognito Browser handles private browsing on Android.
- Explore the privacy features it offers, and what each one does.
- Learn what it does not do, so you can pair it with the right tools.
- Find out whether it is a good fit for private browsing on your Android phone.
- Understanding the True Meaning of Incognito Mode
- Agent Cloaking: Control What Sites See About Your Device
- Ad Blocker: Fewer Ads on the Page
- Tracking and Fingerprinting: What Incognito Browser Does and Doesn’t Do
- Browse Web3: Embrace the Future of the Decentralized Internet
- Downloads: What Stays on Your Phone, Fast Downloads and a Video Downloader
- Settings for Images, JavaScript and Cookies
- Interface: Tabs, Dark Mode and Languages
- What Incognito Browser Does Not Do
- Conclusion: Is Incognito Browser Right for You?
Personal data is collected, analyzed and often used in ways we never agreed to. Incognito mode in a regular browser helps less than many people think. Incognito Browser is a private browser for Android, published by CoinCircle, Inc., built to keep your browsing private on your phone. We make Incognito Browser. Here are its main features, what each one does, and where its limits are.
Understanding the True Meaning of Incognito Mode
Many people rely on incognito mode believing it gives them complete privacy. However, incognito mode in standard browsers only stops your browsing history and cookies from being stored on your device. It does not hide your activity from websites, internet service providers or potential hackers. That leaves your personal information open to tracking.
Incognito Browser applies private browsing to every tab, so there is no regular mode to forget to switch off. It wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app, and it adds an ad blocker and Agent Cloaking. Like any incognito mode, though, it does not hide your activity from websites, your internet provider or your network, and it does not make you anonymous.
Agent Cloaking: Control What Sites See About Your Device
Whenever you visit a website, your browser shares information about your device, operating system and browser version through what is called the user agent string. Websites and advertisers can use this, along with many other signals, to recognize you and tailor what they show you.
Agent Cloaking masks the browser and device details a site sees. It can also load the desktop version of a site on your phone, which helps when a mobile site leaves something out.
Agent Cloaking is not fingerprint protection. The user agent is only one of many signals used in device fingerprinting, and sites can still see your IP address. If fingerprinting is your main concern, Tor Browser and Brave are built with protections against it.
Ad Blocker: Fewer Ads on the Page
Online ads are more than a nuisance. They clutter pages and use data, and malicious ads have been used to spread malware.
Incognito Browser has a built-in ad blocker that removes ads from the pages you visit.
Many browsers need a separate extension to block ads. In Incognito Browser, the ad blocker is built in and free.
Tracking and Fingerprinting: What Incognito Browser Does and Doesn’t Do
Companies go to great lengths to monitor what people do online through tracking and fingerprinting. These methods collect information about your online activities, preferences and even your hardware, often without your knowledge.
Incognito Browser limits some of this. It wipes cookies when you exit the app, so sites cannot use those cookies to recognize you on your next visit, and its ad blocker removes ads.
It does not offer tracker blocking or fingerprint protection as features, and it does not make you anonymous.
Other browsers do more here. Brave, DuckDuckGo and Firefox Focus block trackers by default. Tor Browser aims to make all its users look the same to websites, and Brave says its Shields feature blocks fingerprinting.
If those protections matter most to you, consider one of those browsers instead of, or alongside, Incognito Browser.
Browse Web3: Embrace the Future of the Decentralized Internet
The internet is changing, and Web3 is a push toward a more decentralized web.
Web3 aims to give people more ownership and control of their data and to rely less on centralized platforms.
Incognito Browser can open IPFS, .eth and .crypto addresses, so you can reach Web3 sites and content stored on IPFS from your private tabs.
In many browsers, you need an extension or a gateway website to open these addresses.
Opening a decentralized address does not make what you do there private, though. Transactions on public blockchains such as Ethereum can be seen by anyone.
Downloads: What Stays on Your Phone, Fast Downloads and a Video Downloader
Downloading files is a routine part of using the web. In Incognito Browser, your history, cookies and sessions are wiped when you exit the app, but downloaded files are kept.
That means your downloads stay on your phone, so remove any you no longer need.
Private browsing is not malware protection, so download only from sources you trust.
Fast, Multi-Threaded Downloads
Incognito Browser has fast, multi-threaded downloads. How quickly a file arrives still depends on your connection and the site you download from.
Video Downloader
Incognito Browser also has a video downloader, so you can save videos from many sites. Not every video can be downloaded every time.
Settings for Images, JavaScript and Cookies
Some sites load much more than you need. Incognito Browser has settings to turn images, JavaScript and cookies on or off.
Turning off JavaScript stops many scripts from running, though some sites will not work properly without it. Turning off cookies stops sites from storing them, which can break sign-ins and shopping carts. Turning off images can save data on a slow or limited connection.
These settings give you more say over what a page can do, at the cost of some convenience.
Interface: Tabs, Dark Mode and Languages
Incognito Browser has tabbed browsing, and every tab is private.
It has a dark mode, is available in 13 languages, and lets you choose your search engine. Agent Cloaking can load desktop versions of sites when you need the full page.
Agent Cloaking and the image, JavaScript and cookie settings are part of the app, so you do not need extra extensions.
What Incognito Browser Does Not Do
Knowing a tool’s limits is part of using it well. Incognito Browser:
- Is not a VPN. It does not hide your IP address from websites or your internet provider.
- Does not make you anonymous.
- Does not offer tracker blocking or fingerprint protection as features.
- Is not open source.
- Is Android only. There is no iPhone, desktop or web version.
- Is not Chrome’s Incognito mode, and is a different product from Incogni and Incogniton.
On data collection, the Google Play Data safety section for Incognito Browser says the app may collect crash logs, diagnostics and other app performance data, for analytics.
To protect yourself from phishing and malware, keep Android and your apps up to date and be careful with links and downloads, whatever browser you use.
Conclusion: Is Incognito Browser Right for You?
Choosing a browser comes down to what you need. Incognito Browser is a free Android browser where every tab is private, ads are blocked, and history, cookies and sessions are wiped when you exit the app.
With Agent Cloaking, controls for images, JavaScript and cookies, and support for decentralized addresses, it covers many of the basics of private browsing on Android. If you need tracker blocking by default, fingerprint protection, open-source code, or an iPhone or desktop version, look at browsers such as Brave, DuckDuckGo, Firefox Focus or Tor Browser.
Whatever you choose, know what your browser does and does not protect.
If Incognito Browser fits your needs, you can download it from the Google Play Store, and pair it with a VPN if you need to hide your IP address.
