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Help Articles for Each Feature

Frequently Asked Questions

Known Issues / Action Required

• When multiple Lite Apps are created for the same domain name, why do my links open in the wrong one?

  Hermit versions before v16 never supported creating or using multiple Lite Apps for the same domain. We have recently added that support, but unfortunately it requires action on your part to delete & re-create home screen shortcuts on your launch for this feature to work correctly. Read more …

General Questions

• Why do I need Hermit?

  Hermit is a quick way to make web sites “feel” more like apps on Android. Yes, your other browser can probably add icons to your home screen. That’s not what Hermit is about.

  Can you share status messages and tweets directly from any other app to your “web page icons”? Or view any random web site in Dark Mode? No? Then you need Hermit. Read more …

• What permissions does Hermit require to function?

  Zero. No permissions are required for Hermit to run. Only if you use advanced features, certain permissions may be necessary. Read more …

• How do I delete a Lite App?

  Lite Apps can be managed through the List View. To delete or manage Lite Apps,

  • Switch from Grid View to List View first, using the icon in the bottom corner.
  • For the selected Lite App, press the icon
  • Then select “Remove”.

• How and why should I update Android WebView?

  For a safe, secure online browsing experience, always keep Android WebView updated to the latest version. Read more …

• Which Android versions are supported?

  Android P, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, and Lollipop. Read more …

• Why are all Lite Apps synced at the same Sync Frequency?

  To save battery. Read more …

• Is the source code available?

  No, because we don’t want to encourage copycats who simply take open source code, put their own ads, and re-release the same app. Read more …

• How does Hermit reduce crashes?

  Read more for how we have achieved a 99.8% crash-free rate!

About Specific Lite Apps

• Can you add <my favorite Lite App> to the Library?

  Sure, we love to add new Web Apps to our Library, as long as they are mobile-friendly, fast, and light-weight. Read more …

• Can you add Feature X to Lite App Y?

  Hermit is a browser; we don’t control any sites on the Web. You should contact the owner/publisher of a specific site and ask them to add the features you want. Read more …

• I’m having issues with a specific site.

  Try to see if the problem happens in Chrome or Firefox as well. If so, then please contact the site owner, we cannot do much. If you do suspect it is an issue in Hermit, please contact us with specific details. Read more …

• What about WhatsApp?

  WhatsApp does not run as a Web App independently, so you can’t run it in Hermit or any other browser. Please contact the makers of WhatsApp and ask them to support this. Read more …

• How do I login to third-party Web sites using Google?

  Unblock Popups, and Unblock Third-Party Cookies to enable OAuth-based login. Read more …

App Features

• Why doesn’t the app recognize that I already purchased Premium?

  Some Many users have reported problems activating Premium, because of a bug in Google Play Store. Read more for how to fix this.

• Does Hermit support Multiple Profiles & Cookie Separation?

  No browsers on Android support multiple profiles, and neither does Hermit. Read more …

• Can Hermit add apps to the App Drawer?

  Unfortunately not, because of Android API limitations. Read more …

• Can Hermit generate APKs from Lite Apps?

  Unfortunately not, because of Android API limitations. Read more …

• Can Hermit save passwords?

  Yes, but only on Android Oreo and above, because of Android API limitations. Read more …

• Why does the app start up so slowly on certain phones?

  Certain Android phone manufacturers kill your apps even when Google recommends that they should not do that. They make changes to the core Android OS with the expectation that it will improve battery life, but not only are those changes not even very effective, but they also break well-written battery-efficient apps. See instructions to fix this …

• Where did my icons go after rebooting?

  Some Many launchers, including those made by device manufacturers such as Samsung and Xiaomi, have bugs that prevent them from working well with shortcut icons. We recommend the excellent free Nova Launcher. Read more …

• Why does my Oreo 8.0 phone reboot sometimes?

  Because of a Google bug in Android Oreo 8.0. The bug has been fixed in 8.1, so either update to 8.1, or else turn off Notifications. Read more …

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