Google is pushing Gemini in Chrome and has now rolled it out for Android phones.
I have mixed feelings about Google’s aggressive push, and many users don’t like the AI bloat.
It’s a clear cause for privacy and storage concerns, which aren’t unavoidable right now.
But I found a community-built browser that removes all the AI bloat and tracking while keeping Chrome users right at home.
Enter Bare, a de-Googled browser that keeps AI at bay
The rebel that needs attention
Google is actively adding new AI features to Chrome and will add more that might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
While I use Gemini quite a bit, I felt odd about Gemini appearing in Chrome.
Sure, new features like Auto Browse and Gemini’s integration with other Google apps are handy, but I’m not sure I like them.
I have genuine privacy-related concerns, and I’m sure I’m not the only one in the same boat.
The fact that there’s no way to disable it in Chrome is another unavoidable annoyance, and its forced presence has left a bad taste in my mouth.
That’s when I started digging on Reddit and found a community-shaped Chromium fork called Bare that removes all AI features.
The name is a big giveaway, as it strips Chrome down to its bare essentials before all the AI bloat started rolling out.
It removes all of Google’s tracking, AI/Gemini features, and telemetry while also offering more than Chrome ever has on Android.
Bare supports extensions, has uBlock Origin pre-installed, lets you keep playing media on the lock screen, and can hand off downloads to apps like 1DM.
It is currently the cleanest form of Chromium available, without all the excess baggage that comes with Chrome.
Bare is currently in alpha and can only be sideloaded via its GitHub page. The browser is expected to be available on the Play Store and F-Droid soon.
For Android devices, download the arm64-v7a or 32-bit ARM version, depending on your device. Your device also needs to be on Android 10 or later.
When you first open the app, you’ll quickly realize Bare has been developed by rebels who really aren’t fans of Google’s AI bloat.
You won’t see an Ask Gemini button, Gemini toolbar, or any of Gemini’s built-in shortcuts.
The lightweight browser also doesn’t have any other AI Stacks, or even references to ML Kit/AICore.
The default search engine is DuckDuckGo from the very moment you launch Bare, so that you don’t have to use Google Search from the get-go.
Bare is yet another privacy-focused browser that is doing a better job than Chrome in its nascent development stage.
Bare browser has other cool and nifty features
It still packs a punch
The Bare browser is no lightweight when it comes to additional features that are outright missing in Chrome.
For example, I can download media from supported audio/video players by long-pressing on them. This is handy for websites with slow servers or that block downloads.
If you’re not a fan of Bare’s default downloader, you can hand it off to 1DM for multi-threading and full-speed downloads.
Bare goes further, though, as unlike Chrome, I can keep playing my media even after switching apps or locking my phone’s screen.
Another feature I appreciate is that it doesn’t force landscape orientation when watching videos and respects my phone’s actual orientation.
Nobody likes intrusive ads, and since Bare comes with uBlock Origin installed by default, I don’t have to worry about them.
Similarly, if I want to use other extensions such as Bitwarden, Dark Reader, or Keepa, Bare supports the Chrome Web Store.
It works similarly to the open source Iceraven browser, where I can download or import extensions, though it’s a little less intuitive.
It is important to note that the Bare browser is still in alpha, and I encountered some issues.
When trying the browser, I expected it to be rough around the edges, but to my surprise, it’s very capable.
But I would still like a better implementation for installing extensions. Currently, Bare opens the Chrome Web Store, which isn’t fun to navigate on a phone.
Similarly, I prefer to download video content on Aloha, and its implementation of this feature is incredible. Bare, on the other hand, doesn’t work with every player unless you hand off downloads to an app like 1DM.
Finally, I encountered some driver and GPU-throttling issues on one of my older devices, which isn’t really a deal-breaker for now.
In the long run, it would be prudent for the community to patch it out via an update.
Chrome can no longer ignore what users want
Chrome might be the most popular browser right now, but the gap is closing fast.
With browsers like Brave, Aloha, and open source alternatives like Bare, Chrome can no longer ignore what users want.
Some users might welcome Gemini’s integration with Chrome; it’s also the reason many are switching.
Maybe Chrome might get a setting to turn its AI features off in the near future, but until then, there are plenty of other browsers that let you escape AI.
