Dolphin Browser is perhaps past its heyday; but like Pokémon Go, it’s still around to a significant extent. Dolphin Browser has a great UI, but there are some downsides to the app. If you aren’t sure whether you should get rid of it, we’ll tell you more about the pros and cons. Even if you are already familiar with Dolphin Browser and just didn’t know what Tunnybrowser was, there still might be some things you don’t know about the browser.
1. Tunnybrowser/Dolphin Browser
If you have Dolphin Browser, or have had Dolphin Browser, you might have had the Tunnybrowser file. Dolphin Browser has been tremendously popular on Android, but it’s quite common for its users to have never heard of its alter ego (or package name) — Tunnybrowser. And you might not know whether it’s safe to delete or how to remove it from your Android. While this might seem confusing or annoying, there are plenty of things to consider before you decide to get rid of it. It’s not terribly uncommon for the package or company name to be used for folders or files instead of the application name. So even though it makes it harder to identify these files when you are perusing your Android, this is not anything unusual or underhanded. Dolphin Browser was one of the first third-party browsers to support multiple functions for touch screens (gesture control) and Adobe Flash. Dolphin Browser AKA Tunnybrowser is known for its speed, ad blocking, and search engine options. Many users love the interface and customization options on Dolphin Browser. Voice search is provided by the Dolphin Sonar feature, and syncing across multiple devices is possible if you download a companion Firefox or Chrome extension. Additionally, Dolphin itself offers several add-ons, such as: Screen Cut screenshot app, Web to PDF Editor & Converter, Speed Booster for Android, Dolphin Translate translator, Dolphin QR & Barcode Scanner, Dolphin Reader, Dropbox for Dolphin, and more. Tap on an icon to the left of the main screen and you can access your browsing history and several short cuts; tap to an icon to the right and you’ll see the option to toggle Tabs Mode, switch between mobile and desktop views, to use full screen mode, or Night Mode.
2. Tunnybrowser/Dolphin Browser Issues
Despite all the reasons why you would want to keep this app and its associated files (like Tunnybrowser) on your Android, there may also be some reasons you might want to delete it. The app used to be efficient and agile—these days, those qualities seem more debatable and divisive since the app’s Version 11 release. Complaints about battery consumption aren’t unusual, and the app hasn’t always handled its cache well—at least not automatically. More cache usually equals better speed; but only up to a point, and at what price? The main issue that most can agree on is Dolphin’s lack of reverence for its user’s privacy. One XDA member (Fnorder) discovered and provided evidence that with the release of the app’s Webzine feature, Dolphin Browser was forwarding the URL for every search link and page visited to its server. You might shrug your shoulders and say “So?”, but these URLs were also being transmitted in plain text format, presenting a two-for-one of privacy concerns. These concerns were also ignored for a while, but then patched within the next update. More recently, Reddit user Techpro identified another possible privacy breach. While users thought they had gone incognito (by using the browser’s Incognito Mode), a file named playHistory.xml was tracking and storing every video they watched. If you have a rooted phone, this can be mitigated by changing the file permissions to Read Only, but it kind of makes one question whether Dolphin has really changed its ways. To find this same file amongst other similar questionable files on your device, use a file manager or explorer to navigate to /data/data/mobi.geek.TunnyBrowser/shared_prefs/.
3. Time for a Spring Cleaning?
Tunnybrowser or Dolphin Browser? A misunderstood, reformed app with some unfortunate, but well-intended caching proclivities to keep the browser quick, or a reckless, shady, data-collecting under-the-guise of privacy miscreant? Who knows? It depends on who you ask. If you would rather not risk it, and decide to remove the app, you can uninstall or at least disable any Android app by going to Settings > Apps, and tap on the app you want to uninstall. You can also go into your app tray and long-press the app to drag it out onto your homescreen and into the trash/Uninstall, which is actually pretty satisfying. Is it safe to delete the app and/or the Tunnybrowser file? Yes, but if you want to retain the Dolphin Browser app and just get rid of the Tunnybrowser file, you might want to try simply renaming the file first or making a backup.
Conclusion
Despite its faults, a lot of users love Dolphin Browser too much to get rid of it. Have you experienced any issues with the app or with removing the app or Tunnybrowser file? Let us know what you have to say. We hope you find this advice on what Tunnybrowser is to be useful. Feature Image: Screenshot from my Android
