Same principles as desktop, on your phone. Built on GeckoView (Firefox engine). Blocks ads in-app. Sideloaded because Google removed it for blocking ads too well.
New to sideloading? Just installing an app from outside the Play Store. See the 4-step guide below — takes ~90 seconds.
Google removed Orbit for violating Play Store policy §8.3 — "interfering with third-party ads." That's literally what the ad blocker does. We could strip the ad blocker and stay on the Play Store, or keep it and sideload. We kept it.
Sideloaded APKs from this site are identical to what was on the Play Store — same signing key, same update mechanism, just distributed directly.
Install guide
Here's exactly what to expect. The three warnings you'll see are Android being cautious, not a signal that anything's wrong.
Tap Download APK above. Chrome may warn that APK files can harm your device — this is the generic sideload warning, not a signal about this file. Tap Download anyway.
Open the APK. Android asks: "For your security, your phone isn't allowed to install unknown apps from this source." Tap Settings → toggle on Allow from this source → back.
You're granting this to whichever browser you downloaded with (usually Chrome). You can revoke it after installing.
Google Play Protect flags any app not from the Play Store. You'll see "Blocked by Play Protect" or "Unsafe app blocked." Tap More details → Install anyway (unsafe).
"Unsafe" here means "not scanned by Google," not "contains malware." The APK is signed with a consistent key across all releases.
Done. First launch takes ~2 seconds. Set Orbit as your default browser in Android Settings → Apps → Default apps → Browser app if you want.
Staying up to date
A free open-source app that auto-updates Android apps from any direct-download URL. Install Obtainium from F-Droid, then add Orbit with this URL:
Obtainium checks the URL daily and prompts you to install new versions as they drop.
Install the APKPure or Uptodown store app, search for Orbit, enable auto-update in their settings. Same signing key as our direct release.
Bookmark this page. Visit occasionally — the download button shows the current version. Download the new APK and install (it overwrites, keeps your data).
What's inside
Blocks ads on every site you visit. 126,000+ filter rules loaded on first launch. YouTube ads skip automatically.
Built on Firefox's engine, not Chromium. Doesn't feed Google's web-compatibility gravity. Supports modern standards.
Sync bookmarks, passwords, and history between phone and desktop over your local network. Encrypted with a passphrase.
AES-256 encrypted passwords stored on-device. Autofill on login forms. Biometric unlock on phones that support it.
Organize open tabs into groups. Private tabs clear cookies + history on close. No saved session from private mode.
Distraction-free article view. Forces dark mode on sites that don't have one. Follows system theme by default.
What Orbit knows about you
Only two things leave your device: the sites you type into the address bar (which go to the site you're visiting — nothing we can see), and one daily usage ping with platform (android) and app version. No identifier, no UUID, no behavior, no URLs.