Cyanogen says it’s not trying to replace Chrome

Jul 2, 2015 07:00 GMT  ·  By

The developers of one of the most popular custom ROMs for Android devices are working on an exciting little project that has just gotten teased a little today.

The CyanogenMod team is developing a web browser called Gello, which is based on the source code for Google’s Chrome web browser for Android.

Since Google released most of the source code for its mobile browser to the Chrome project not so long ago, developers have already started using the intelligence to build their own Chromium-based browsers.

It’s the case of CyanogenMod as well, and developer Joey Rizzoli has already teased a short demo video showing a few customization they intend to add to the browser, including night mode and immersive mode, edge swipe gestures, toggles for default site permissions (location, microphone, camera, ads and so on), option to save pages for offline reading and advanced download manager.

A second more extensive video has gotten posted on his Google Plus+ page later on, adding more information to the overall picture, like the fact that the browser will be open source and won’t support devices with small system partitions.

Gello will be made available in future CyanogenMod iterations

The Gello web browser will most likely be part of the future version of CyanogenMod operating system, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see it become available on other Android devices as well.

The browser is still under active development, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise if you see it arrive in the Google Play Store at some point.

In the post we mentioned above, Rizzoli also makes a point in answering some of the most cynical comments arising after Cyanogen’s Kirt McMaster made some dissenting remarks about the company trying to step away from Android.

In his post, Rizzoli highlights an important fact: CyanogenMod Team does not hate Google and is not trying to steal Google’s work while cuing users to remove Chrome from their devices altogether.

What’s more, Rizzoli recognizes that he and the CM team use Google Apps and Services every day, and under no circumstances is Cyanogen trying to put a bullet into Google’s head. They are just trying to create an alternative.

Glimpses of Gello (6 Images)

CyanogenMod teases Gello
Download settings in GelloNavigation features in Gello
+3more