Arc, the up-and-coming web browser startup, has extended an invitation to non-Arc users to explore its latest trio of “shareable” features. The company recently rolled out an option to share unique views, such as Spaces, Folders, and Split Views, with anyone, regardless of their use of the Arc browser.
This endeavor in expanding sharing capabilities may serve as a way to introduce newcomers to Arc who may not have encountered the browser previously or found the time to explore it. Additionally, it effectively showcases the distinctive features that make Arc a novel means of internet access, link management, and organization of personal interests.
For example, with Spaces, users can create distinct sections within Arc that are dedicated to personal life, work, or any other specific focus. You can have a Space dedicated to a particular hobby, ongoing research for a work project, or any area of interest. Now, a “Share” button has been added, allowing you to share one of your Spaces with friends. They can view the collection of links within your Space without needing to install Arc; it opens directly in their preferred browser, like Chrome, via a unique URL starting with arc.net/space.
Similarly, you can curate a collection of links in a dedicated folder to share with others. Unlike Spaces, Arc’s folders provide a straightforward way to group related tabs together. For instance, you could organize a folder for a project, articles you intend to read later, a recipe collection, travel planning links, or any other topic. While Spaces and Folders serve somewhat overlapping purposes, Spaces are distinct areas with their own theme and icon, meant to facilitate switching between different contexts, such as work and personal browsing.
Arc’s third shareable feature, Split View, allows multitasking by enabling the simultaneous viewing of up to four tabs in a single window. This can be particularly useful when referencing various browser tabs concurrently, such as a project file and your calendar when composing an email. You could also use it for leisure, pairing work-related tasks with distractions like an online game of Wordle.
Arc has presented these shareable features as part of its ongoing effort to provide a unique and versatile browsing experience. The company was founded by Josh Miller and Hursh Agrawal, former Facebook employees and co-founders of Branch, in 2019. Arc secured its first external funding in 2021 with a $5 million investment from prominent figures such as Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Ev Williams of Medium, and Dylan Field of Figma, among others. The browser became publicly accessible in July.
While Arc has garnered support from web power users seeking advanced browser capabilities, it also offers a distinct browsing experience with features like tabs and the search bar positioned on the side, as well as a range of keyboard shortcuts for efficient navigation. However, this uniqueness can pose a learning curve for newcomers, and the shareable features offer a way for users to explore Arc without fully committing to a browser switch. Preceding this launch, Arc incorporated AI-driven features that leverage OpenAI and Anthropic’s models to keep pace with the AI offerings of major tech competitors like Google and Microsoft.
