The best Android browser isn't on the Play Store. Here’s how to install it

For anyone looking to ditch Google Chrome, the Play Store has enough options already, from privacy-focused ones like Brave to extension-friendly browsers like Firefox. But no matter which you pick, there’s something always missing, whether it’s features, customization, or just a bit of personality.

Solipsism Browser is an open-source, Chromium-based browser that’s a rare exception. I don’t blame you if you haven’t heard of it — it’s fairly new and isn’t available on the Play Store either. Here’s how to install it on your Android and, more importantly, why it’s worth jumping through a few extra hoops.

How to sideload Solipsism Browser on your Android phone

The developer of Solipsism Browser hasn’t given any specific reason for why it isn’t on the Play Store, but it’s a deliberate choice many privacy-leaning, open-source app developers make. The good thing is that installing the browser is still easy enough.

1. Open any browser on your phone and head to Solipsism’s GitHub page.
2. Scroll all the way down to the Releases section and tap the latest version.
3. Under Assets, tap the APK file to download it.
4. Tap Install to confirm. If you see a Permission required prompt, tap Settings and turn on the Allow Permission toggle.

This is the quickest way to get Solipsism Browser on your phone, but it’s not the only one. You can also grab it from F-Droid, which is a third-party app store that exclusively hosts free and open-source software. Solipsism Browser fits right in there.

The only catch with this method is that you’ll need to sideload F-Droid first, since it’s also not available on the Play Store. Getting it onto your phone works exactly the same way as sideloading any other app. You need to head to F-Droid’s site, download its APK, and install it. Once F-Droid is set up, open it, search for Solipsism Browser, and install it directly from there. This method makes more sense if you’re planning to install more free and open-source apps on your Android phone.

Keeping Solipsism Browser updated isn’t difficult

Installing apps outside the Play Store is usually painless. The real concern is often keeping them updated. Thankfully, that’s not much of an issue with Solipsism Browser. If you installed it through F-Droid, you’re already covered. F-Droid checks for new versions in the background and installs updates automatically, just like the Play Store. You just need to ensure that automatic updates are enabled in F-Droid’s settings.

Even if you’ve sideloaded the APK directly, there’s no need to check its GitHub page manually. The browser will ping you when a new version is out, so you simply need to tap the alert and download the latest APK.

There’s also a third option, which is setting up Obainium. It’s a free, open-source app built exactly for this problem — tracking updates for apps installed outside the Play Store. You’ll need to sideload Obtainium itself first, then point it at Solipsism’s GitHub repo. From there, it watches for new releases and lets you install updates with a single tap. This option, though, only makes sense if you’ve got multiple apps sideloaded from different sources and need to keep them all updated.

Solipsism Browser is worth the sideloading hassle

Using Solipsism Browser feels nothing like Google Chrome, in a good way. The first thing you’ll notice is how it doesn’t have a top or bottom bar like every other browser. Solipsism shows everything — tabs, back, forward, refresh, and address bar — into a single vertical strip on the right side. This makes the browser optimal for one-handed use. And if you’re a lefty, you can move the rail to the left. The side rail feels particularly great on wide foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The real deal, though, is the built-in adblocker. It combines host-based blocking with uBlock-style cosmetic filtering, and that’s what makes browsing much cleaner. You don’t see any ads, and there are filters in case you want to allow ads on certain sites you want to support. My favorite part is the element blocker, which lets you hide useless stuff on a site that isn’t technically an ad but clutters things up anyway. These are things you typically only find in a desktop browser.

Solipsism Browser is also big on privacy. You can manage cookies on a site-by-site basis, send Do Not Track requests, and control WebRTC. There’s even a built-in malware scanner, which is handy if you love downloading files from different corners of the internet. The browser doesn’t skimp on the usual stuff either. You get homepage customization, an audio equalizer, a screenshot tool, haptics control, and plenty more. The most interesting one is Decoy Mode, which swaps your history for a fake, believable browsing session instead of simply wiping it clean.

I wouldn’t call Solipsism Browser perfect, of course. It’s still fairly new, barely more than four months old. The biggest miss I feel is the lack of extensions. If you’re coming from Firefox or Samsung Internet, you’ll miss that right away. But Solipsism Browser kind of makes up for this with scripts. These let you tweak how a site behaves — strip out paywalls, force dark mode, auto-skip “are you human” cookie banners, that sort of thing. They’re not for everyone, of course, but it’s the closest thing it has to an extension store.

What do you guys think? Does Solipsism Browser seem like a worthy alternative to whatever browser you’re using right now? Or does the sideloading hassle make it a hard pass for you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.