Tor Browser 8.5, the first stable version for Android, is now available on Google Play Store!

Yesterday, the Tor team announced the release of Tor Browser 8.5, which marks the first stable release for Android. Tor Browser 8.5 was also released for other platforms with more accessible security settings and a revamped look.

https://twitter.com/torproject/status/1130891728444121089

The first alpha version of Tor Browser 8.5 for Android came out in September last year. After being in the alpha testing phase for almost 8 months, this version aims to provide phone users the same level of security and privacy as the desktop users enjoy.

Announcing the release, the team wrote, “Tor Browser 8.5 is the first stable release for Android. Since we released the first alpha version in September, we've been hard at work making sure we can provide the protections users are already enjoying on the desktop to the Android platform.”

The browser ensures security by preventing proxy bypasses. It comes with first-party isolation to protect users from cross-site tracking and fingerprinting defenses to prevent digital fingerprinting. Though the Android version was released with various security features, it does lacks some Desktop features that we will see coming in the subsequent releases.

Across all the platforms, this version comes with improved security slider accessibility. Earlier it was behind the Torbutton menu, which made it difficult to access. Along with this change, the Tor Browser also comes with few cosmetic changes. The user interface is similar to that of Firefox’s Photon UI and also has redesigned logos.

The team further shared that, the other most popular mobile operating systems, iOS will not be getting Tor Browser any time soon as it is too restrictive. Users can instead use the Onion Browser.

Read also: Understand how to access the Dark Web with Tor Browser [Tutorial]

You can download Tor Browser 8.5 from the Tor Browser download page and distribution directory. The Android version is also available on the Google Play Store.

Read the full announcement on Tor’s official website.