The developers of the Arc browser, launched in 2022 and known for its unique features, have officially announced the end of its support. Josh Miller, CEO of The Browser Company, shared the reasons behind this decision and outlined the company’s next steps.
According to Miller, even after the decision to stop Arc’s development emerged, the team continued to update Chromium and patch vulnerabilities and related bugs. However, no new features were introduced. This happened despite the fact that Arc had recently expanded: the Android version launched in October last year, and shortly before that, the Windows version was released.
Shifting Focus to a New Project
In his statement, Miller shared a story involving Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall, who once likened Arc to a saxophone—powerful but hard to master. He advised the team to build a “piano,” something that anyone could use with ease. This suggestion inspired the creation of the Dia AI browser within The Browser Company, where powerful features are hidden behind a much simpler user interface.
When asked why Dia wasn’t simply integrated into Arc, Miller explained that Dia was designed from scratch with speed and performance in mind. In contrast, Arc had become bloated over time, as it was built too quickly with too many features added along the way. Starting fresh allowed the team to avoid the technical debt that had built up in Arc.
Future Plans and Availability
Miller also mentioned that The Browser Company does not plan to open-source Arc due to a key component they describe as the company’s “secret sauce.” Meanwhile, Dia is currently in alpha testing and will be gradually made available to the Arc community, adds NIX Solutions. The team is aiming for a broader rollout, and although no exact dates were shared, they’ve emphasized that updates will follow soon.
While it may be disappointing for some users to see Arc come to an end, the development of Dia signals a clear shift in direction. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available and as Dia moves through its testing phases.