Chromium Browser for Android

Custom Chromium browser development for Android with performance optimizations and privacy enhancements.

🎯 Project Goal

The current plan is to fork Brave Browser and apply custom patches for enhanced performance and features on Android devices.

🚀 Base Project

Brave Browser

Repository: brave/brave-browser

Why Brave?

  • Built on Chromium with privacy-first approach
  • Active development and maintenance
  • Built-in ad/tracker blocking
  • Strong Android support
  • Open source with permissive license

🔧 Planned Patches

Performance Optimizations

1. Skia Scale Patch

Source: thorium/skia_scale.patch

Purpose: Optimizes Skia graphics rendering for better performance and reduced memory usage on mobile devices.

Benefits:

  • Improved scrolling performance
  • Better canvas rendering
  • Reduced GPU memory consumption
  • Smoother animations

📚 Reference Projects

These projects serve as inspiration and reference for custom Chromium builds:

Core References

Project Description Key Features Link
Brave Core Brave’s core functionality Privacy features, crypto wallet, rewards GitHub
Cromite Privacy-focused Chromium fork Enhanced security, debloated GitHub
Thorium Performance-optimized Chromium Speed optimizations, patches GitHub

Additional References

Project Focus Area Link
Ultimatum Custom Chromium build GitHub
Trivalent Secure Chromium variant GitHub
Helium Browser Android-optimized browser GitHub

🛠️ Development Setup

Prerequisites 

# Install depot_tools
git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/tools/depot_tools.git
export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/depot_tools"

# System requirements
# - Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+
# - 64GB+ RAM recommended
# - 200GB+ free disk space
# - Python 3.8+

Clone Brave Browser 

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/brave/brave-browser.git
cd brave-browser

# Initialize and sync
npm install
npm run init

# Sync Chromium and dependencies
npm run sync

Apply Custom Patches 

# Create patches directory
mkdir -p patches/custom

# Download Skia scale patch
curl -o patches/custom/skia_scale.patch \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Alex313031/thorium/main/other/skia_scale.patch

# Apply patch
cd src
git apply ../patches/custom/skia_scale.patch

🎨 Planned Features

Privacy Enhancements

  • ✅ Built-in ad/tracker blocking (from Brave)
  • ⏳ Enhanced fingerprinting protection
  • ⏳ Cookie auto-deletion
  • ⏳ Advanced privacy settings

Performance Optimizations

  • ⏳ Skia rendering improvements
  • ⏳ Memory usage optimization
  • ⏳ Faster JavaScript execution
  • ⏳ Reduced startup time

Android-Specific

  • ⏳ Better battery optimization
  • ⏳ Improved gesture controls
  • ⏳ Enhanced mobile UI/UX
  • ⏳ Better support for low-end devices

📦 Build Process

Building for Android 

# Set up Android build environment
npm run build -- --target_os=android --target_arch=arm64

# Configure build
gn args out/android_arm64

# Build flags (add to args.gn)
target_os = "android"
target_cpu = "arm64"
is_official_build = true
is_debug = false

# Build
ninja -C out/android_arm64 chrome_public_apk

# Output APK location
# out/android_arm64/apks/BraveMonoPublic.apk

Build Variants

Variant Target Description
arm 32-bit ARM Older devices
arm64 64-bit ARM Modern devices (recommended)
x86 32-bit Intel Emulators
x86_64 64-bit Intel Emulators, Chrome OS

🔬 Testing

Installation 

# Install APK via ADB
adb install -r out/android_arm64/apks/BraveMonoPublic.apk

# Or install on emulator
adb -e install -r out/android_arm64/apks/BraveMonoPublic.apk

Performance Testing 

# Monitor performance
adb shell dumpsys meminfo com.brave.browser
adb shell dumpsys gfxinfo com.brave.browser

# Capture logs
adb logcat | grep -i chromium

📋 Patch Management

Creating Patches 

# Make changes in src/
cd src
git add .
git commit -m "Description of changes"

# Create patch file
git format-patch HEAD~1 --stdout > ../patches/custom/my_patch.patch

Applying Multiple Patches 

# Apply all patches in directory
for patch in patches/custom/*.patch; do
    git apply "$patch"
done

🔗 Useful Resources

Documentation

Patch Repositories

Communities

🚧 Development Status

Component Status Notes
Base Fork ⏳ Planning Brave browser fork
Skia Patch ⏳ Pending Performance optimization
Build System ⏳ Pending Android build configuration
Testing ⏳ Pending Device testing
Release ⏳ Pending Initial release
Legend: ✅ Complete ⏳ In Progress ❌ Blocked 📋 Planned

🤝 Contributing

Areas for Contribution

  1. Performance patches
  2. Privacy enhancements
  3. UI/UX improvements
  4. Bug fixes
  5. Documentation

Patch Submission

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Implement changes
  4. Test thoroughly
  5. Submit pull request with patch file

⚠️ Important Notes

  • Respect Chromium and Brave licenses
  • Maintain attribution
  • Don’t use official Brave branding without permission
  • Comply with WebKit/Chromium trademark policies

Build Requirements

  • Time: Initial build takes 2-4 hours
  • Storage: ~200GB for full checkout
  • RAM: 16GB minimum, 64GB recommended
  • CPU: Multi-core processor recommended

🔙 Navigation