The Browser Company is at it again, and not in a way Arc Search browser users are thrilled about. In its latest v1.40.2 update, the company quietly axed the ability to share “Browse for Me” links, disabling the Copy URL button for these pages. “We’ve deprecated the ability to share out Browse for Me links. This update disables the Copy URL button in the navigation bar for Browse for Me pages,” the changelog reads. While that might sound like a minor tweak, the Arc Browser subreddit is buzzing with concerns that the browser is slowly being gutted rather than improved.

If this feels like déjà vu, it’s because it is. Arc has been on an unshipping spree, with features like “Paste & Go,” the Notes tool, and even the ability to highlight the most recent tab vanishing into the digital abyss. The company has also openly admitted to trimming features to “sculpt, smooth, and tighten” the product. But users are starting to wonder: is Arc being prepped for a quiet retirement in favor of the company’s upcoming AI-powered Dia browser?

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Is Arc on borrowed time?

The Browser Company CEO, Josh Miller, has tried to reassure users that Arc isn’t going anywhere. Last October, he addressed the growing fears about the upcoming Dia browser, stating, “We’re not abandoning Arc!! Just don’t think it needs more features. Just stability, performance, security.”

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But that statement — while meant to be comforting — feels eerily similar to the kind of corporate-speak that precedes a slow fade-out. Miller even compared Arc to Apple’s Power Mac G4 Cube, a niche product that Apple eventually discontinued. Meanwhile, Dia was likened to the translucent iMac, which signaled a major shift in Apple’s product line.

So, what does this all mean? The removal of features, the emphasis on “stability” rather than innovation, and the arrival of a second browser all paint a picture that some Arc users find unsettling.

Arc is expanding, not dying

To be fair, The Browser Company has been expanding Arc’s availability. It finally launched on Windows in April 2024 and made its way to Android a few months later. A company investing in new platforms doesn’t usually indicate abandonment. However, the feature cuts seem to tell a different story — one where Arc is being streamlined to become a legacy product while Dia takes the spotlight.

For now, Arc still exists, and its users — while frustrated — haven’t jumped ship en masse. But if more features keep disappearing without meaningful additions, the growing suspicion that Arc is simply a stepping stone to Dia may become harder to ignore.

Hillary Keverenge
608 Posts

Tech junkie. Gadget whisperer. Firmware fighter. I'm here to share my love-hate relationship with technology, one unboxing at a time.

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