| Price | Free |
| Version | 12.13.0.1207 |
| Category | Communication |
| Developer | UCWeb Inc. |
| Source | iOS, Android |
| Rating | (4.9) |
UC Browser is an internet browser that can be used on multiple platforms. It is an incredibly popular web browser for Android and iOS, although it is very rarely used on PCs.
UC Browser is the creation of UCWeb Singapore Pte. Ltd, which was previously known as UCWeb.
UCWeb Singapore Pte. LTD is a company owned by Alibaba, and UC Browser uses data compression and cloud acceleration.
The servers of UC Browser act as a proxy that allows the compression and rendering of data to web pages before it is sent to users, which loads web content quicker.
UC Browser also supports multi-file downloading, and has a ‘fast download’ feature which improves downloading speed with the multiple thread connection download technique.
UC Browser also has cloud syncing and HTML 5 web app features, and in India and China is one of the most downloaded mobile browsers.
UC Browser was originally introduced to Java-based phones before becoming available for all smartphones. UC Browser is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, iOS, Java ME, and Symbian.
UC Browser also has a couple of sibling apps, such as UC Mini (which is a smaller browser that uses less data), UC Browser HD that is available on Android tablets, UC Browser that is available on Chrome on Windows devices, and UC News which is - you guessed it - a news app.
UC Browser uses data compression and cloud acceleration technology to load pages at high speeds.
UC Browser uses servers that act as a proxy to enable data compression and rendering.
This is thanks to the multiple thread connection download technique.
Themes and custom backgrounds are available.
UC Browser also has a barcode scanner, a day and night mode, ad blocker, image browser, file manager, and video and music player built in, fast social media notifications, a homepage that updates with news, support across multiple platforms, streams video downloads, and supports multi-file format downloading.
This is especially the case with pop-up ads. It also sometimes doesn’t open pages completely.
The app downloads UC news and updates in the background without permission, and aggressively promotes the app. You’re also asked to download the app pretty much straight away.
It also pressures users to download its battery optimizer, cleaner, and locker apps.
The Qualys SSL Lab Test found FREAK, Logjam, and POODLE vulnerabilities in UC Browser.
UC Browser is frequently found by security tools and users to contain adware, malware, and Trojan software.
For example, anti-malware organization Malwarebytes found UC Browser to be a Trojan virus.
It has been found frequently that UC Browser sends details of your bookmarks, images you view, keywords, pages you like, personal details, and websites you visit to a server in China.
In 2015, it was found that UC Browser leaked sensitive Android ID, geolocation data, IMEI, IMSI, MAC address, MSISDN data, and Wi-Fi data with no encryption and intelligence agencies used this data to monitor users.
We hope these statistics and findings have provided an answer to the question is UC Browser safe.
As you can see, there are serious red flags and concerns when it comes to UC Browsers security and how it protects the privacy of its users.
We advise avoiding UC Browser and choosing safer browsers instead, but if you already have UC Browser and don’t wish to remove it then below you will find some tips on how to stay safe while using UC Browser.
Change passwords that you have saved in the app. You can do this by downloading an alternative browser.
We hope these tips can protect you while using UC Browser.
However, the best way to stay safe is to replace UC Browser with other browsers to protect yourself against data theft, personal data leaks, and other privacy risks.
Not exactly, in fact many customers believe that UC Browser is more concerned with its features than prioritizing data privacy and security.
These problems are not new either, they are baked into the history of the app and is a common problem discussed on review pages of the app.
University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab reached out to UCWeb Singapore Pte Ltd and Alibaba for comment on the security and privacy issues in the UC Browser but they only responded that they would look into the problems and try to fix them.
While UC Browser has many features and fast download speeds, there are also many bugs in the system, such as the Ad blocker not working properly and pages failing to load.
There are also serious issues with UC Browser’s privacy and security, as it has repeatedly been found to host adware, malware, and Trojan viruses, as well as leak sensitive data on its users to intelligence agencies.
Therefore, we would advise against downloading UC Browser.
