| Puffin Browser | |
| Logo Size: | 163px |
| Developer: | CloudMosa, Inc. |
| Ver Layout: | Stacked |
| Operating System: | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Android TV, Linux |
| Engine: | Blink |
| License: | Proprietary |
Puffin Browser is a remote browser developed by CloudMosa, an American mobile technology company founded by Shioupyn Shen.
Puffin Browser was initially released in 2010. It uses cloud servers for content processing.[1] [2] It relays the network identity of its users to the websites they visit by adding an extra XFF (X-Forwarded-For) header in each HTTP request[3] containing the user's mobile device's IP address. For websites that did not support the XFF header, Puffin Browser is treated as a proxy server.[4]
Puffin Browser was compatible with Adobe Flash Player to play Adobe Flash content, including on mobile devices, where Flash was discontinued due to security issues.[5] The features also include a virtual trackpad, gamepad and on-screen keyboard functions.[6] Adobe Flash Player eventually cut support in 2020, resulting in Puffin Browser also shutting down Adobe Flash Player Support.
Puffin Browser is offered for several different platforms: Puffin Browser on Android (and formerly iOS), Puffin Secure Browser on Windows and MacOS, Puffin Internet Terminal[7] on Linux, Puffin TV Browser[8] on Android TVs and Puffin OS on mainstream smartphones. Puffin Browser is also known to run on resource-limited hardware like Raspberry Pi[7] and set-top boxes.[9]
In May 2019, CloudMosa announced that they would discontinue the Puffin Web Browser app on iOS devices due to Apple's App Store policies.[10] However, CloudMosa released Puffin Web Browser Lite for iOS devices, which does not support Adobe Flash Player.
In November 2010 and December 2010 respectively, Puffin Browser released its paid version, Puffin Web Browser Pro, on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
In 2013, CloudMosa introduced Puffin Academy, a free mobile browser with built-in Adobe Flash for K-12 students, teachers and parents. However, the iOS version of Puffin Academy was discontinued on July 1, 2019.
In 2015, they released a new product, Puffin for Facebook.[11] [12] [13]
In 2017, the Puffin Browser was the top utility application in the App Store across 58 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and South Korea.[14]
In May 2018, ad blocking features were added to the Pro version, which does not exist in the free version. Before that, the only difference was a smaller limit on downloading.[15]
In June 2018, CloudMosa announced the release of a separate lightweight browser app for iOS devices called Puffin Browser Lite, given that Apple rejected Puffin Web Browser updates. This lightweight browser app is based on iOS WebKit and does not support Adobe Flash Player.[16] It was later announced that they would discontinue the original Puffin Web Browser apps on July 1, 2019, on all iOS devices because of the block on updates, citing Apple's app review guideline 2.5.6. The shutdown was later pushed back to October 1, 2019,[10] and the free version of the original browser app was finally discontinued on November 20, 2019. CloudMosa announced on Facebook that the paid version on iOS, Puffin Browser Pro would remain available but no longer be updated.[17]
Puffin TV Browser is an edition of Puffin Browser optimized for Android TV users. It is ranked the best browser for Android TV by MakeUseOf.[18] Thailand's largest GSM mobile phone operator, Advanced Info Service (AIS), ships a customised version of Puffin TV Browser in their set-top box—AIS Playbox.
Before 2018, the Puffin Browser product family was only available on mobile devices. Starting in 2018, Puffin Browser released a desktop version, Puffin Secure Browser for Windows. In May 2019, Puffin Secure Browser for macOS was released.
As of October 24, 2018, it has reached over 50 million users on Android.[19] As of November 2018, Puffin browser has reached 100 million accumulated users worldwide.[20] [21]
Right before the opening of CES 2019, CloudMosa announced a new Puffin Browser product family member, Puffin Internet Terminal, a desktop virtualization app running on Raspbian for Internet surfing designed for Raspberry Pi. Puffin Internet Terminal was selected as a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Computer Hardware and Components product category.[22] Later in August 2021, Puffin Internet Terminal was rebranded as Puffin Cloud Learning and released as a demo version that did not require a subscription to support students learning at home during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place.[23]
In May 2019, CloudMosa introduced the Puffin OS. However, the independent review website GSM Arena expressed skepticism.[24] [25] [26]
In 2020, the Puffin Android TV browser became a subscription service.
Puffin Web Browser is the standard Puffin Browser application for Android and formerly iOS. The Android Puffin web browser supported Adobe Flash content and features such as mouse cursor emulation and a virtual gamepad before being discontinued.[27] [28] Users can choose where to save a downloaded file - either to users' devices or directly to their storage drive. The web browser also allows users to reduce the amount of data from sources such as Flash games that often consume a lot of data.[29]
Puffin Browser Lite is the standard Puffin application for iOS devices.[16] It is similar to the Puffin Web Browser for Android devices but does not support Adobe Flash Player. It has workspaces and password protection.
Because web pages render through the remote browser in the cloud, user traffic is passed via the Puffin servers. Some users criticise that Puffin may log their personal data such as passwords. However, Puffin's privacy policy states that they log no web page content and that they do not have access to users' passwords, and are in compliance with GDPR and CCPA.[30]