The Dolphin Browser is a web browser for the Android and iOS operating systems developed by MoboTap Inc. It was one of the first alternative browsers for the Android platform[5] that introduced support for multi-touch gestures.[6] Dolphin Browser uses its native platform's default browser engine.
Both iOS and Android versions are proprietary software with optional in-app purchases.[5] There was an updated version called Dolphin Browser for Android 2.0 or later.[7][8] Dolphin Browser Beta[9] was released in May 2012 with the in-house HTML5 engine Jet pack.[citation needed] In December 2013, Dolphin Zero, a version of the app that claims to be private by automatically deleting browser data, was released.[10]
Privacy concerns
In October 2011, privacy concerns were raised about Dolphin browser after it was discovered that all URLs loaded in Dolphin HD were being relayed as plain text to a remote server,[11] a process described by Ars Technica as "an unambiguous breach of privacy".[12] This breach was patched in the next update.[13]
Reception
In 2011, Steve Kovach of Business Insider compared Dolphin Browser favorably to Safari and claimed "Dolphin Browser blows Safari out of the water."[14] In 2011, Dolphin Browser was recognized on PC Magazine's list of the best free iPhone and iPad Apps of the year,[15] and received a PC Magazine Editors Choice award in 2012.[16]
However, in the years since its release it has not had enough users to compete with competitor mobile browsers.[17][18] As of March 2024, the browser holds a rating of 2.7 out of 5 on the Apple App Store.[19]
