Verified Sep 2026

DiscontinuedChromium engine 24/30 documented

Kiwi Browser

The Android browser that made Chrome desktop extensions work on a phone, now no longer maintained by its original developer.

Published by Geometry OU (Estonia) · Verified September 2026

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Runs on

macOSmacOS: Unavailable
WindowsWindows: Unavailable
LinuxLinux: Unavailable
AndroidAndroid: Partial
iOSiOS: Unavailable

Choose it when

Do not adopt Kiwi Browser today; it is recorded here because it is still widely recommended in older guides that do not mention it is unmaintained.

Avoid it when

Avoid it for any current use: an unmaintained Chromium base does not receive the security fixes that Chromium ships continuously.

Quick answers

Read straight off the verified record - every one of these is expanded with its source below.

Which platforms does Kiwi Browser run on?: No platform in this record documents a current Kiwi Browser build.
Can I install Chrome extensions?: Yes - the Chrome Web Store is supported.
Does it block trackers out of the box?: Yes - tracker or ad blocking is on by default. A native ad-blocking and tracking-protection toggle shipped in the browser, extendable with desktop extensions.
Does it have built-in AI features?: No AI capability in this record is documented as built in.
Is it open source?: Open source under Chromium's licensing
Is it still being developed?: Discontinued - The original developer announced the end of active maintenance; community continuations exist but are not the original product.

What Kiwi Browser does

Open any row for the wording and the source behind it

Privacy and tracking

1 built in · 1 not available · 2 undocumented

Blocks trackers by defaultBlocks trackers by default: Built in
A native ad-blocking and tracking-protection toggle shipped in the browser, extendable with desktop extensions.
Anti-fingerprintingAnti-fingerprinting: Unknown
Telemetry postureTelemetry posture: Unknown
Built-in VPN or proxyBuilt-in VPN or proxy: Unavailable
Private windowsAn incognito mode was available, inherited from Chromium.
An incognito mode was available, inherited from Chromium.
Default search engineConfigurable

Extensions and blocking

3 built in · 1 not available · 1 undocumented

Chrome Web StoreChrome Web Store: Supported
Firefox Add-onsFirefox Add-ons: Unsupported
Native content blockingNative content blocking: Built in
A native ad and tracker filter was included alongside extension support.
Manifest V3Manifest V3: Unknown
Manifest V3 support was not clearly documented.
Manifest V2Manifest V2: Built in
Manifest V2 extensions were supported, which was the browser's defining capability.
Known limitationsExtension support was the product's reason to exist, but it depends on a Chromium base that is no longer being updated by the original maintainer.
Extension support was the product's reason to exist, but it depends on a Chromium base that is no longer being updated by the original maintainer.

Workflow

2 built in · 6 not available · 3 undocumented

Vertical tabsVertical tabs: Unavailable
Tab treesTab trees: Unavailable
Workspaces or spacesWorkspaces or spaces: Unavailable
ProfilesProfiles: Built in
Profiles or equivalent browser identities are available.
Split viewSplit view: Unavailable
SidebarSidebar: Unavailable
Reader modeReader mode: Unknown
Reader mode is not documented.
Command paletteCommand palette: Unavailable
Sync across devicesSync across devices: Unknown
Sync behaviour is not documented.
TranslationTranslation: Unknown
Translation behaviour is not documented.
Progressive web appsProgressive web apps: Built in
Progressive web apps are supported by the Chromium install flow.

AI features

9 not available

Built-in assistantBuilt-in assistant: Unavailable
Page summarisationPage summarisation: Unavailable
Acts on pages for youActs on pages for you: Unavailable
AI answer engineAI answer engine: Unavailable
Works across open tabsWorks across open tabs: Unavailable
Text or image generationText or image generation: Unavailable
Choice of modelChoice of model: Unavailable
Retention or training controlsRetention or training controls: Unavailable
Voice or image inputVoice or image input: Unavailable

On a phone

3 built in · 7 undocumented

Undocumented is not the same as absent - it means the publisher does not state it.

Extensions on mobileExtensions on mobile: Built in
Desktop Chrome extensions ran on Android, which almost no mainstream mobile browser offered.
Can be the phone defaultCan be the phone default: Built in
Could be set as the Android default browser.
Biometric lockBiometric lock: Unknown
Biometric locking is not documented.
Offline readingOffline reading: Unknown
Offline reading is not documented.
Desktop-site modeDesktop-site mode: Built in
A desktop-site toggle was available.
Download managerDownload manager: Unknown
A built-in download manager is not documented.
Background playbackBackground playback: Unknown
Background or picture-in-picture playback is not documented.
Web pushWeb push: Unknown
Web push support is not documented.
Data saverData saver: Unknown
Address-bar placementAddress-bar placement: Unknown
Address-bar placement is not documented.

Under the hood

Rendering engine: Chromium
JavaScript engine: V8
Upstream project: Chromium
Release channel: stable
Code and licence: Open source under Chromium's licensing
Install method: Direct download of the final APK from the project repository; the Play Store listing was removed.
Hardware support: Android builds targeted common mobile architectures.

Source repository

Discontinued. The original developer announced the end of active maintenance; community continuations exist but are not the original product.

Editorial view

Kiwi Browser earns an entry for two reasons: it did something genuinely important, and a great many articles still recommend it without mentioning that it is no longer maintained. Both facts belong on the same page.

What it did

It made desktop Chrome extensions run well on Android. For years, if you wanted a real content blocker, a userscript manager, or a password extension on a phone, Kiwi was the best-known Chromium option; Yandex Browser could also run Chrome Web Store extensions, but Kiwi's implementation was the more complete and the one people recommended. Firefox for Android offered a curated add-on list; Kiwi offered the Chrome Web Store. That capability shaped what people expected a mobile browser could do.

What happened

The original developer, Geometry OU, announced the end of active maintenance, and the repository was archived in January 2025. Community continuations exist, but they are not the original product. The record marks the status as discontinued and Android availability as partial: builds remain installable while no longer being maintained, from the project repository only, since the Play Store listing was removed.

Why this matters more for a browser

The engine. Chromium ships security fixes continuously, and a fork that stops rebasing stops receiving them. Over months, the gap becomes a collection of known, published, unpatched vulnerabilities in software whose entire job is executing untrusted code from the internet. That is why the recommendation here is unambiguous in a way most entries are not: do not use it.

What to use instead

Firefox for Android: actively maintained, real add-ons through a curated catalogue, which covers the most common reason people wanted Kiwi
Vivaldi on Android: has moved toward Chrome Web Store installation, also maintained

The broader lesson generalises to several entries here: a community fork is only as safe as its maintainer's continued attention, and that attention is not guaranteed. Kiwi was good, it filled a real gap, and it is now a security liability. Its final builds still install, which is exactly the problem. Recording that plainly is more useful than quietly dropping it from the list, since the recommendations that sent you here are still out there.

Where these facts come from

Every capability above is read from a primary source and dated. 6 of 30 fields stay recorded as unknown rather than assumed.

Kiwi Browser project repository
Project scope, Android extension support, and maintenance status.
Verified Sep 2026

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