Our app has no relationship with spyware app of the same name

News reports today indicate the discovery of a spyware app originating in Kazakhstan that is also unfortunately named Hermit. We would like to clarify that our app has absolutely no relationship with this other spyware/malware app. The newly-discovered app has been given the same name as ours, which is sadly an unfortunate coincidence.

Our Own Indie Store for Downloads and Purchases

Many of our privacy-conscious users choose to get their Android apps from sources other than Google Play. And Google Play Store is not available in every country around the world either.

For a long time, we have offered direct app downloads from us via https://apps.chimbori.com/. We have also supported buying Premium apps directly from us via PayPal at https://hermit.chimbori.com/unlocker.

Today, we are announcing that our apps can be installed and auto-updated via any compatible F-Droid client app.

Celebrating 7^th Anniversary with a Worldwide Sale!

We can’t believe it’s already been 7 years since Hermit was first introduced! Since then, we’ve seen 20 major releases, 100s of minor releases, supporting 8 Android versions all the way back to Lollipop, and soon Tiramisu. And of course, all of you millions of happy customers who have rated the app 4.6+ stars over the years!

Hermit 20 — Assorted New & Improved Features that make the Hermit Experience better

Info Cards: Many people look for answers about various features in Hermit, so the latest release includes Info Cards that explain a few of the advanced features, how they work, and where to get help.

New Dark Mode: On Android Q, R and S, Hermit now uses a more robust Dark Mode implementation, that looks better on more websites than ever before.

Better Downloads Support for misconfigured servers. Hermit can now sniff the MIME type better, so you’ll see correct filenames even when the server provided the wrong one. (E.g. even if a server sends a picture with a “.php” extension, Hermit can auto-correct it to “.png”.)

Swipe Gestures: For those of you who use Gesture Navigation on your phone, and want to turn off swiping in apps, Hermit now lets you enable or disable gestures for opening Bookmarks and Quick Settings. (Hermit → Settings → Lite Apps → Swipe Gestures)

Early Access Program Discontinued: We are thankful to all our Early Access Program users whose feedback and suggestions have shaped Hermit into the app it is today. It’s clear that users are getting tired of too many subscriptions, and would much rather prefer a one-time purchase model.

Understanding “App Tracking” Reports from Competing Browsers such as DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo makes a competing browser app that has recently started reporting on other apps’ usage of telemetry. As a direct competitor, they are hardly a neutral third-party since they have a vested interest in getting you to use their browser instead, and we recommend you treat their reports with caution.