The Brave browser, an open-source internet browser created by Brave Software Inc., has now been downloaded over 10 million times from Google’s Play Store. Notably, this could mean there has been a significant increase in the number of people using the privacy-oriented web browser, as it reportedly only had 3.1 million active users in July.

Thrilled that Brave for @Android now has over 10 million downloads! 😍 Thank you to our users for choosing to browse faster and safer, and for valuing privacy protection! https://t.co/ME6ZkOYfLx pic.twitter.com/nBmpMFEcBa — Brave Software (@brave) August 24, 2018

In April, there were about 2.2 million users who had installed the Brave browser, while its Android version was ranked among the top 10 “Free Communication Apps” on Google’s Play Store in more than 20 different countries, including the US and Canada.

Built-In Crypto Wallet

The increased adoption of the Brave browser, which was developed using the C, C++, and JavaScript programming languages, may be considered a positive development for the crypto community. That’s because Brave browser’s Windows, macOS, and Linux versions currently support Basic Attention Tokens’ (BAT) payment system.

BAT is an open-source, decentralized ad exchange platform which was developed on the Ethereum network. Brave browser users will be able to regularly receive Basic Attention Tokens as the cryptocurrency is set to be sent to their wallets each month for viewing ads. These crypto wallets have been integrated (or built-in) into all versions of the Brave browser, except the Android and iOS version.

Eliminating Intrusive Online Ads, Third-Party Publishers

Moreover, the developers of BAT and the Brave browser aim to change (or replace) the current system of monetizing content published by websites. Instead of compensating content creators with payments received via intrusive online advertisements, a certain amount of the content consumers’ BAT is paid to websites, Twitch streamers, and YouTube channel operators.

A payment in BAT is sent each month to content producers and the amount of cryptocurrency they receive depends on how much time users spend reading or watching their content. This type of crypto payment system lets consumers directly pay content creators, in order to eliminate the high fees charged by third-party online publishers.

Despite introducing a crypto-based compensation model that might appeal to both content creators and consumers, the vast majority of users are still using more popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Moreover, only about 1 out every 4 Brave browser users, or 25%, is said to actually be using the BAT payment system.

Negative Reviews

Brave Software’s browser has also received many negative reviews on mobile as one user named Adrián Iriarte recently wrote a complaint stating that the browser’s design must be improved. Iriarte criticized the tech company for basically just copying Google Chrome’s user interface (UI).

He added the Brave browser still lacks important features such as a password saver and has no synchronization or other standard options like dark mode. Meanwhile, another user, Hayden Toby, claimed that the Brave browser app was “very invasive.” Toby also commented the browser’s app “keeps insisting to be installed though already installed.”

Notably, Brave Software is not the only company trying to develop and market crypto-related browsers and services. As CryptoGlobe reported in July, Opera launched a mobile browser for Android with a built-in cryptocurrency wallet and support for decentralized apps (DApps). Opera also recently introduced a built-in crypto wallet for its desktop browser.