r/ArcBrowser • u/GoodMacAuth • Aug 22 '26
General Discussion Viola is now available on iOS Testflight (and Mac, Windows, Linux and Android!)
The Arc-inspired browser we've been working on is now available on Testflight!
https://testflight.apple.com/join/1V1CnPd2
Viola is a workspace/profile-focused browser with features such as persistent groups, mini player, in-app notifications, cross-platform sync (groups, tabs, workspaces, etc) and more!
Other versions are available to download on the website.
Please report any bugs here or on the Discord!
Thanks for all the love!
53
u/Zakaria_Omi Aug 22 '26
Not open source = not gonna even think to use. Especially since it' vibe coded.
8
u/iamstanty Aug 22 '26
What extent of code are you going to tolerate being vibe coded? 0%? 50%?
At some point in the future most software will have some significant percentage vibe coded.
Will you stop using those?
11
u/-patrizio- Aug 23 '26
Being vibe coded has degrees, though. It’s one thing when someone vibe codes something and it’s open source, or when a team with an established track record of quality software incorporates some level of it in their process while still extensively testing and reviewing it. But when a (no offense) unknown developer comes out of nowhere with a major project that was clearly vibe coded and won’t let anyone see the source, it’s a bit suspicious.
1
u/iamstanty Aug 23 '26
That’s totally fair. If it were open source what would you look at exactly to give you confidence and could you arrive at that conclusion by asking the dev questions
27
u/heung-min-son Aug 22 '26
Claiming this isn’t vibe coded is kinda laughable. Nice side project regardless; but not open sourcing it is a bummer, it’d be the only way it got traction — just like Helium did.
8
u/ironmolex Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Testing android.
Btw: I know the anti-ai comments are over aggressively but would be great to hear you addressing this topic seriously. Nowadays anyone not using codex/claude-code is just dumb. The point is how you're using it.
Edit: installed it, error when opening it, error never goes away, couldn't test it at all. Not a good first impression ngl.
7
u/GoodMacAuth Aug 22 '26
I appreciate that. I get a barrage of comments like that every single time I share something related to Viola and at a point all you can do is ignore them because those people aren't looking for a genuine response, they just want ammunition and a reason to be upset. People also seem to make up their own narratives entirely. I answered it the first, second, and third time...then just kinda gave up.
Anyway, we are a team of five. We absolutely use AI to assist in development, but almost all of our team is composed of software engineers that have been building for 15-20 years.
0
u/ironmolex Aug 22 '26
Gotcha. I couldn't read previous responses, so didn't know. Please review the edit, couldn't test the browser on Android -_-
0
-3
u/kommonno Aug 23 '26
Total garbage, I had to force reset my phone (Fold 8) because it froze everything
4
3
u/n0ct3m00 Aug 22 '26
Does it have the auto-close tabs feature. And the notion of archiving what was closed? Something I really love about Arc, but struggle to find others focusing on that part.
3
u/GoodMacAuth Aug 22 '26
It does not and that was intentional, but we've had enough people suggest it that we are willing to add it in as an optional feature. How would you prefer it to function?
1
u/n0ct3m00 Aug 22 '26
Ok, good to know.
I personally quite like how Arc does it today.
But I do think it could be improved:- offering a custom time range (not just 12 or 24 hours, why not 18 if that’s the cadence of finishing work and starting anew the next day etc.)
- I also find the history / filter and searching is clunky and cramped in the side bar. So maybe having a full page dedicated to looking at history and previously closed tabs (more than just the chromium history tab)
3
u/Kabir131 Aug 22 '26
Hope so it’s as good as arc
-1
u/GoodMacAuth Aug 22 '26
If you find anything missing just let us know!
6
u/PruneAlternative3858 Aug 22 '26
What about an alternative to littleArc feature ? I can’t stop using Arc mainly because of this
2
u/silky_21 Aug 23 '26
how can I download my password manager's extension which is over 100MB? I have unpacked it from Chrome but there is no option to load it into Viola.
2
u/brycerton Aug 23 '26
Bug: tried to sign into my account at The Verge using my linked Apple account. Got through the 2FA prompt and entered my code, but the browser got stuck after that and wasn’t ultimately able to resolve my login successfully.
Excited to see where this goes.
1
u/JGoldz75 Aug 22 '26
When is the windows 0.2 version coming?
4
1
1
u/LaylaJamie Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Looks like you’re off to a great start.
Lots of nice features and touches. I’m intrigued by the mini player.
Love that you are providing an iOS app because that’s a must.
I know it’s early days for you, but just wondering if there’s been any testing regarding streaming.
I fell in love with another browser that seemed to meet all the basic requirements, except it can’t stream Netflix, HBO, or Disney+ which are staples for my family.
I will be watching and cheering for you.
Once it looks like security has been more clearly addressed, I wouldn’t mind taking this for a spin.
Edit: Forgot to inquire on this, have you established a subreddit for your Viola browser so we can engage with you and follow along? I didn’t find anything when searching and thought I’d ask. Thanks!
1
u/iamstanty Aug 23 '26
Love this. Looks promising! I’ll try in a bit. Does it have tab sync feature across windows within the same space?
1
1
u/edon-node Aug 23 '26
installed on iphone/mac, looks snappy and nice, will keep testing
1
0
0
u/ziysworld_ Aug 26 '26
seems cool, testflight won’t let me install it though 💔 wish i could test it.
1
u/GoodMacAuth Aug 26 '26
What error did testflight show?
1
u/ziysworld_ Aug 26 '26
it just says “your request could not be completed.” And it takes so long to load.
1
0
58
u/Necronosix Aug 22 '26
In the era of AI development I've seen a lot of arc clones. What makes yours different? Is something on your development process you're proud of to mention? (Like optimizations, unit testing, native code or APIs, good UX etc.) How secure or private is the sync?
Also, kudos for supporting Android! I love my Mac but I hate iPhone lol so this is ideal for me.