Brave, a Chromium-based browser that touts a privacy focus and a new take on online advertising, now offers a version that works on Apple’s new M1 Macs.
In a recent tweet, Brave shared that its final desktop update for the year was available. ‘Version 1.18.77’ offers native support for M1 Macs, as well as other tweaks like a “localization fix for Brave Rewards” and a fix for an issue with playing videos on HBO Max and IMDb.
Our last desktop browser update of the year (v1.18.77) features native support for M1 Macs, a localization fix for Brave Rewards, and fixes for playing videos on HBO Max and IMDb. https://t.co/4wVWi8TElt pic.twitter.com/6P2jBAMwSk
— Brave Software (@brave) December 30, 2020
Now when users try to download Brave on their Mac computer, they’ll see a pop-up prompting them to choose between the Intel version or M1 version. The pop-up looks rather helpful, as it notes that Intel Chip Macs are “most common” while M1 Macs are ones available “Nov 2020 and later.”
Additionally, the pop-up explains how to check which Mac you have (Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner > select ‘About This Mac’ > Look for ‘Processor’ or ‘Chip’ in the ‘Overview’ tab > Check if it says Intel or Apple).
When you head to Brave’s website to download the browser, if it doesn’t show the pop-up, you can also download Brave for M1 Macs by selecting the ‘macOS ARM64’ option.
Native M1 support should bring noticeable performance improvements for apps on M1 Macs, as well as fix any issues caused by the Rosetta II translation layer that converts apps made for Intel Macs to run on M1 hardware. Both Google Chrome and Firefox have also launched M1 variants of their browsers.
