What mobile devices and OS versions fully support DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser features?
Executive summary
DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Browser is officially available for iOS and Android mobile devices and—per DuckDuckGo itself—also offered for macOS and Windows desktop platforms [1] [2]. Reporting and app repositories show active Android releases (APK and F‑Droid entries) including builds that list minimum Android requirements (examples in late 2025 target Android 8.0+), while coverage of specific iOS version minimums is not stated explicitly in the supplied sources [3] [4] [5].
1. What DuckDuckGo says it supports — platform list from the vendor
DuckDuckGo’s official download page and help pages list availability for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, making that the company’s explicit cross‑platform claim [1] [2]. Those vendor pages frame the product as a mobile browser on iOS and Android and a desktop app on macOS and Windows [1] [2].
2. Android: concrete app releases and minimum OS hints
Third‑party app archives and download pages show active DuckDuckGo Android builds and sometimes an explicit Android minimum. Uptodown’s version history includes an entry (apk 5.259.2) that specifies “Android + 8.0,” which indicates some recent builds require Android 8.0 or newer [4]. F‑Droid and other repositories also list recent version numbers (for example, v5.258.0) showing continued Android support and updates [3] [5].
3. iOS: available but minimum iOS version not stated in these sources
Multiple reports and product summaries repeatedly note that the mobile browser is available on iOS [6] [7]. None of the supplied snippets, however, include a specific minimum iOS version requirement for DuckDuckGo’s mobile app; the official download page confirms availability but does not list OS numbers in the excerpts provided [1] [6]. Available sources do not mention the exact lowest supported iOS release.
4. Desktop parity and mobile feature expectations — context from coverage
Journalists and technology sites portray DuckDuckGo as moving toward feature parity across platforms (bookmarks, privacy protections, syncing and desktop betas), and they report desktop betas arriving for macOS and Windows in prior years [8] [9]. Analysts and blog coverage anticipate continued mobile improvements (voice search, tighter mobile privacy tools), but those pieces are forward‑looking commentary rather than OS‑compatibility documentation [10] [11] [12].
5. How features map to OS capabilities — what to infer and what’s missing
Some features—like App Tracking Protection on Android and automatic HTTPS enforcement—are platform‑specific in their implementation and depend on OS APIs; one Wikipedia summary mentions an Android feature that blocks trackers in other apps, while other sources describe automatic HTTPS and tracker blocking as browser functions [13] [7]. The supplied sources do not present a comprehensive, version‑by‑version compatibility matrix for every DuckDuckGo feature on every OS. Not found in current reporting: a single authoritative list tying individual features to precise OS versions across iOS and Android.
6. Practical guidance for readers who need exact compatibility
If you require an absolute answer for a specific device model and feature (for example, “Does App Tracking Protection work on Android 9?”), the sources suggest checking the specific app store listing or repository entry for that build: Uptodown and Softonic list APK metadata including minimal Android targets for particular releases [4] [5]. DuckDuckGo’s official download/help pages confirm platform availability [1] [2] but—based on the supplied excerpts—do not substitute for build‑level OS minimums.
7. Conflicting signals and reporting agendas to note
Vendor pages emphasize cross‑platform availability and privacy messaging [1], while industry writeups and independent app archives focus on release cadence and compatibility details [8] [3] [4]. Some third‑party sites (TechSpot, Softpedia, F‑Droid) provide version numbers and file details that are useful for compatibility checks but can lag or differ from the official store text [8] [3] [14]. Readers should be aware that promotional pieces and future‑oriented analyses (UMATechnology, MEFMobile) speculate about features and timelines without giving OS‑level constraints [10] [11] [12].
Limitations: this summary uses only the supplied sources and therefore cannot confirm precise iOS minimum versions or a complete mapping of every DuckDuckGo feature to every OS release; those details are not mentioned in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).