{"slug": "orbot", "name": "Orbot", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 3, "warners": 0, "score": 2.565, "rising": -0.98, "first": "2025-12-06", "latest": "2026-05-10", "why": "You run Orbot on your phone routing your SimpleX traffic through it.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "You run Orbot on your phone routing your SimpleX traffic through it.", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://orbot.app", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Orbot"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 769402274, "item_id": 48087642, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48087642", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You run Orbot on your phone routing your SimpleX traffic through it.", "excerpt": "You are using an Ad hominem (\"Simplex is run by borderline grifters\"), Straw man (\"Tor isn't a messenger\"), appeal to consequences (\"It doesn't matter what XYZ is \"for\", when the stakes are this high we need to be protecting people full stop.\"), and an implicit no true Scotsman (\"defeats the entire use case\"). >Simplex is run by borderline grifters The developers' character is irrelevant\u2014the code is open source (agpl", "context": "", "use_case": "Tor client on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "The FCC Wants Your ID Before You Get a Phone Number"}, {"id": 755461664, "item_id": 47216354, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47216354", "by": "ninjasmosa", "date": "2026-03-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can do this on any other android device using an app like Orbot or Tor VPN beta", "excerpt": "The hide your ip address feature routes your traffic through Tor: https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/advanced_privacy#hide-my-ip You can do this on any other android device using an app like Orbot or Tor VPN beta", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "/e/OS is a complete \"deGoogled\", mobile ecosystem"}, {"id": 738761233, "item_id": 46172577, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46172577", "by": "Flere-Imsaho", "date": "2025-12-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Orbot on Android", "excerpt": "I use Orbot on Android - which provides a Tor connection. I'm not sure why people are paying for VPNs for the small number of sites that are blocked in the UK.", "context": "", "use_case": "Tor on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How many people got VPNs in response to laws like UK Online Safety Act?"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["tor client on android", "tor on android"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48075185", "title": "The FCC Wants Your ID Before You Get a Phone Number", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47215489", "title": "/e/OS is a complete \"deGoogled\", mobile ecosystem", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46171921", "title": "Ask HN: How many people got VPNs in response to laws like UK Online Safety Act?", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 769402274, "item_id": 48087642, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48087642", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You run Orbot on your phone routing your SimpleX traffic through it.", "excerpt": "You are using an Ad hominem (\"Simplex is run by borderline grifters\"), Straw man (\"Tor isn't a messenger\"), appeal to consequences (\"It doesn't matter what XYZ is \"for\", when the stakes are this high we need to be protecting people full stop.\"), and an implicit no true Scotsman (\"defeats the entire use case\"). >Simplex is run by borderline grifters The developers' character is irrelevant\u2014the code is open source (agpl", "context": "", "use_case": "Tor client on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "The FCC Wants Your ID Before You Get a Phone Number"}, {"id": 755461664, "item_id": 47216354, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47216354", "by": "ninjasmosa", "date": "2026-03-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can do this on any other android device using an app like Orbot or Tor VPN beta", "excerpt": "The hide your ip address feature routes your traffic through Tor: https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/advanced_privacy#hide-my-ip You can do this on any other android device using an app like Orbot or Tor VPN beta", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "/e/OS is a complete \"deGoogled\", mobile ecosystem"}, {"id": 738761233, "item_id": 46172577, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46172577", "by": "Flere-Imsaho", "date": "2025-12-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Orbot on Android", "excerpt": "I use Orbot on Android - which provides a Tor connection. I'm not sure why people are paying for VPNs for the small number of sites that are blocked in the UK.", "context": "", "use_case": "Tor on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: How many people got VPNs in response to laws like UK Online Safety Act?"}]}