Brave v1.91 for Android brings Chromium v149, custom search engines, and much more
Brave has rolled out its v1.91 update for Android, and it brings more than its headlining feature. The release upgrades the browser’s underlying engine to Chromium 149.0.7827.59 — a meaningful jump from the Chromium 148 base used in v1.90. That shift brings the latest security patches and stability improvements to Android users.
Brave Origin Takes Center Stage
The most talked-about addition is Brave Origin, a feature the company has been building toward across both mobile and desktop platforms. It leads the v1.91 release on both Android and desktop, where version 1.91.168 also just dropped. The Android APK currently sits at v1.91.164, with the final stable build expected to close that gap once it officially reaches the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
Custom Search Engines Come to Android
Power users have long asked for the ability to add custom search engines on Android. Brave has finally delivered, though there is a catch — the feature sits behind a flag that must be manually enabled before it becomes accessible. Once unlocked, it lets users add their preferred search providers beyond the defaults already built into the browser.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
Several other changes make daily use smoother. Brave has re-enabled its Android autofill service, restoring improved password and form-filling functionality. The Password Manager now displays website favicons — the small icons associated with each site — making it easier to visually scan saved credentials at a glance.
Startup performance also gets a boost. The browser now caches adblock DAT files — the data files that power its content blocking — on the client side, which noticeably reduces load times when opening the app.
AI, Wallet, and UI Updates
Users of Brave’s built-in Leo AI assistant will notice that attachment previews in the chat input box now scroll horizontally rather than stacking vertically, producing a cleaner interface. A Bug That caused an infinite loop during certain AI Chat tool requests has also been patched.
On the crypto side, Brave Wallet line charts now feature a dotted texture, and the Portfolio view gains two new sections: “Get Started” and “Asset Distribution.” These changes align closely with what desktop users received in the v1.91.168 release.
Foldable device owners get attention here too. The settings page now transitions more smoothly when folding or unfolding the phone, addressing an experience that had felt rough on earlier builds.
Bug Fixes Round Out the Release
Brave fixed a UI misalignment that appeared when closing the VPN banner inside settings, and corrected VPN icon colors in both light and dark modes. A localization issue causing oversized button labels in Japanese has also been resolved.
The full update is expected to reach the Play Store shortly. Based on what the changelog and early APK reveal, v1.91 is a substantial release — and Brave Origin is only part of the story.
