Other browsers already do, firefox users just cant stop licking mozillas balls
Firefox has always had been the most attractive to many people.
On mobile? Very few do
The point is they already do unlike what the article claims
It's desktop extensions. Most mobile browsers only support a subset of all available extensions (including Firefox!). Now, Firefox will support its whole library of extensions.
They only mention "open extension ecosystem" idk if that means everything and also I haven't found an extension not working on mine yet I have even installed a flash player extension for flash games on my browser so no opinion on those statements
They only mention "open extension ecosystem"
The title: "Prepare your Firefox desktop extension for the upcoming Android release"
End of the first paragraph: "Here’s everything developers need to know to get their Firefox desktop extensions ready for Android usage and discoverability on AMO…"
End of the second paragraph: "so why not start optimizing your desktop extension for mobile-use right away?"
also I haven’t found an extension not working on mine yet I have even installed a flash player extension for flash games on my browser so no opinion on those statements
And those were installed from the mozilla addon library? With full support for a mobile interface? And you tried every extension available?
I have even installed a flash player extension for flash games
Flash used to be a mobile extension...
What u highlight desktop for, the article is about android and the 10 extensions it has so far, your own highlight says "about upcoming android release" desktop is only mentioned for devs to optimize their shit for mobile use.
And no my extensions were not from mozilla thats my whole point I can get extensions elsewhere this whole time, which is why I mock mobile mozilla users in the comments thinking mozilla did something revolutionary.
The article is about how i currently Firefox only supports 10 extensions, specifically developed for mobile, but in the future it will allow all the extensions that are available for desktop. And how no other mobile browser so far accepts all desktop extensions, making Firefox the first.
It's really not that hard to understand
I think you're a little confused about what's being said here.
I think youre the one confused other mobile browsers already support extensions, too bad 100 people downvoting lack the skill to google
Cool! So many useful extensions that I couldn't use on android.
Mobile FF is already awesome with UBlock Origin and YT background playback extensions. I wish to install an auto redirect extension. (Twitter to Nitter) I know it is doable on beta w/ extensions etc. but I want to see them on normal Firefox.
Have a look at YouTube ReVanced if you want a much better YouTube experience on Android. :)
use Newpipe, it's free software, unlike revanced.
Or LibreTube
I used to have an app to do the redirection on several sites automically but afair the Nitter thing was just so unstable that I removed the app.
Same, like 30% of the time it worked, the other 70% it would be very slow or not load at all
It might have been some time ago, because even the main instance has been consistently working for me as of recent
Yeah this winter and spring
You can install tamper monkey and use a userscript to redirect. That's what I do.
That's nice, maybe they can finally re-enable about:config in the damn thing too. They removed it from mobile Firefox years ago and the lack of it aggravates the hell out of me.
It's available in nightly (and I think dev) builds
If you don't want to use the potentially unstable Nightly, Dev or Beta, you can use Fennec (stable builds with dev features).
probably in normal Firefox too, it's just hidden in all of them
Fennec still supports it, just as it supports add-ons from the official Mozilla store. Don't see any reason why I should go back to the official app.
Fennec is awesome. I'm never going back to anything else.
Yup. Unless they break anything, which I can't really imagine at this point.
Is there an easy way to migrate from the official app to Fennec? Keeping accounts, extensions and settings?
If you have enabled the sync feature in Firefox, it seamlessly works with Fennec; as does the integration between Fennec and Firefox Desktop. Simply log on with your Firefox account in Fennec, and you won't even feel the difference.
How do I make use of this? I can't see a way to install them on my Fennec from F Droid
You have to add a custom addons collection. That's how.
I haven't gotten around making them and using them, and it seems every guide online is vastly out of date
Doesn't it already support them ?
edit: yes it already supports them, but it seems that now there will be more focus on mobile
edit2: also they forgot about kiwi, but then it's not a major browser (and is it still maintained ?). still would've been cool if they corrected this
Yeah, kiwi is still supported and got an UI update a month ago. But it's chromium based if remember correctly.
it also whitelists ad blockers from working on some, presumably "partnered", websites.
What? You just install the uBlock Origin extension. Are you saying it overrides domain and element blocks from uBlock?
Didn't know that. I also got some kind of shady vibes from Kiwi, but never run into any issues with it. Firefox was causing all kinds of problems with pages failing to load so I bailed, but would be glad to return if they fix the bugs and add full extension support.
This article was weird for me also I have all my extension already installed like bitwarden for passwords and all kind of adblockers and scriptblockers
Kiwi is a mobile only browser if I'm not mistaken. This article is about DESKTOP extensions working on mobile. Firefox already supported a limited set of (mobile) extensions for a while.
Edit. Sorry. I stand corrected. Might try kiwi even.
Well yes, Kiwi supports Chromium extensions, it's the same concept
They already support uBlock origin and that's all I need.
On android I find its also a good idea to have a system wide ad blocker solution because android and all their apps are so inundated by ads, so I recommend dns66 (which can be found on fdroid) which has multiple blocklists you can subscribe to. This will cover some ads thats are built directly into apps and almost all ads that would appear in websites on a browser. This helps a lot since some apps will open a browser window for -reasons- and they sometimes have their own internal browser or they will just use chrome by default, not respecting your default browser choice, and in those cases you cant have ublock installed to protect you and those pages are so ad-overloaded that finding what you are looking for is next to impossible.
Yeah I wish I could edit my hosts file for example so it blocks all advertisement websites.
Try Blokada
I'm using dns.adguard.com as private dns provider in Android s network settings. Am i doing it wrong? I never see ads in any apps or browsers though... they are blocked everywhere
Seems like many people aren't aware that's an option
I've got a Pihole set up running on my NAS but unfortunately it's really difficult to find ad tracking lists that both 1) block ads effectively and 2) don't break a large portion of webpages
Dark Reader too
Whoa 🤯. Never realized this somehow. That's awesome. No ads on mobile.
On iOS or just Android?
Oh on Android for me.
No, no, no!
It was supporting all the desktop extensions. For years. Until the damn buggy rewrite for no good reason. And then we were suddenly left with like 5 of them.
For a year after that I was still running the last stable release. But unfortunately the web evolves too fast.
At least with firefox beta, you can create your own collection of extensions and use those. That's what I do and I can install any extension.
I have it on Firefox Nightly with the dev stuff. It's pretty great tbh
Not all extensions appear to be compatible at the moment. I know if I add a couple of my favorite desktop extensions to my collection that it breaks.
Hmm... interesting. I'm able to use ublock and two extensions for fanfiction. That's interesting that it just breaks for you.
Maybe you're lucky with your extensions of choice.
I'm not saying all extensions I tried adding broke the collection - only a couple did; the other extensions worked as expected.
Yeah I suppose so. I have a BUNCH of extension on my desktop Firefox, but I don't need much on my mobile version tbh. Especially since I have a few extensions that work for websites that already have apps (like I have sponsorblock and pockettube for YouTube but there's no point in installing them on my mobile FF since I have the YouTube app so...).
I actively don't use the YouTube app.
No adblocker, sponsorblock, or return the dislike button.
I also don't use the app for a website if the mobile website is good enough. Less software on my phone, so a reduced amount of storage used on apps, fewer updates, hopefully reduced CPU and battery consumption, fewer security issues, reduced data collection, and my phone is just a little cleaner to use. Everyone has their own preference, this is just mine :)
Fair enough. You're a far stronger person then I am haha.
Didn't their pre-version 79 app already support extensions?
I don't know about pre-79, but their current version supports a very, very limited selection of extensions, many of which are to specifically improve the mobile version of Firefox. Currently, only a total of 22 extensions are supported, many of which share the same purposes.
I mean, ad blocking is like 95% of the reason why I want extensions.
And the other 5% is blocking all those stupid consent popups.
They actually have at least four adblockers available in mobile Firefox on Android: uBlock Origin, AdGuard AdBlocker, Ghostery, and AdNauseum.
yeah I'm actually disappointed when they stop doing that
Is still does, experimentally, if you enable developer settings, rather unintuitively through a Firefox Add-Ons account. Developer settings are not available in the official release but the Nightly builds as well as some forks, like 🦊Fennec, include them.
Yes. It did.
But didn't it used to support desktop extensions on mobile before the redesign about 3 years ago?
Also, hasn't Kiwi had extensions for like 6 years?
Lol what? I remember using Kiwi browser like 7 years ago and it had extension support...
I use kiwi browser now. It's still there and getting updates.
So did Dolphin....
So did Firefox, oddly enough
Wow I haven't seen this name for a long time
They're finally starting to recover from that crappy firefox 79 update 😮💨
It supported desktop extensions before, then they got rid of that and now they're going to do it again?
Kiwi broswer already does it, same with the Orion browser for iOS
That's why the article itself adds the "major browser" qualification.
Just when Google thought it could kill adblocking…
Well as far as adblocking goes, mobile FireFox already supports uBlock Origin.
Holy Fuck. Call me Ramsay, Finally some delicious fucking tech. the separation gap between mobile and pc has been going on for far too long. anything to help merge the pair. yes. all the yes.
First? What about Kiwi browser?
Edit: I just remembered even old firefox supported most desktop addons...
And many others
And yet they've turned their back on *Android tablet users and refuse to support the tab bar.
It's long overdue. I've been running Nightly to get around the shockingly limited number of addons available on Firefox for Android. Hopefully Mozzila don't fumble the bag with this as its a great opportunity to steal users from Chrome.
I do find it funny when people talk about how few extensions are supported, when it has the best extension support of any mobile browser.
Like I get it, but still.
Relative to desktop, it is comparatively few.
Best on mobile, yes. The few they allow in FFfA stable is a tiny amount considering how many actually can work, but Mozilla arbitrarily decided they won't allow.
It used to be able to support all desktop addons but they for some reason took that away a while back
The reason was they completely rewrote the mobile browser.
I didn't know it was a mass rewrite, I just assumed they ruined the UI and features to "keep" up with mobile chrome, as most of these big tech companies do
Orion Browser by the team that makes the Kagi search engine makes this possible on ios already
Nah. They use hacks. This is native.
It’s the next best thing on IOS because you can’t install extensions on FF.
Next best thing aint the same thing. Blame Apple for that.
The user's point still stands. He was offering an exception if you don't want to wait on FF or Apple to change something for FF. Quit being smug aka an asshole.
Not being smug at all. They are polar opposites to most people.
I don't care what others are saying, but I've never heard of this browser and I'm definitely going to give it a try. Wish I knew about this one sooner.
I would kill for this on iOS. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy with my Safari Extensions, but I’d rather have uBlock Origin, Stylish etc.
I think I read that it previously supported full blown extension and they removed it due to some under the hood changes.
It did, legacy versions of it had almost full extension support and also even allowed you to install them from storage as xpi files and poke around about:config, then they took away both of those things completely in fenix (only allowing about:config in debug versions and blocking XPI install altogether).
Nothing to do with this thread just saying hello o7
Kudos to them for rolling out support more widely, but it's a bit misleading as Firefox nightly/Fennec has supported extensions for years (albeit via a cumbersome process), and Kiwi Browser is also a thing.
I can't understand how folks out there are just rawdogging the Internet out there without ublock or at least a DNS ad filter. Admittedly, Chrome runs a hair more smoothly, but the ability to use extensions like uBlock / DarkReader / Consent-O-Matic make the Firefox experience a tier above.
I just hope this makes it possible to install the Bypass Paywalls extension again so I don't have to hop over to Kiwi for that.
Thanks for cross-posting instead of re-posting!
About time. I'm tempted to switch back to Mull from Bromite, but I'm worried about the security of Firefox compared to Chromium (that's why I switched in the first place), I've heard that particularly Mobile Firefox has awful sandboxing and bad security, I'm pretty sure it was the GrapheneOS team saying this? I'm no security expert though...
Yes it was the GrapheneOS team who said that. See the paragraph just above Camera. I literally just skimmed their guides and saw this yesterday while considering getting a Pixel.
I use Mull and Vanadium on Graphene OS, and the experience on Vanadium is just okay by comparison. It is true that not having extensions does decrease the attack surface, and Vanadium does have a built in ad blocker, but it simply isn't as all encompassing as ublock's list.
I use Mull mainly but don't log into anything with it, and have noscript extension on by default.
I also turn off JS by default in Vanadium. Both browsers have ways of making exceptions for certain sites in this case, but NoScript has more granular control.
I remember reading on reddit a convo that basically the GrapheneOS team was much more concerned with security than privacy. This isn't to say they don't care about privacy at all, just that they will always prioritize security first.
This makes sense considering their decision to only officially support the Pixel line of devices. You still are supporting Google by giving them your money (and a bit of your data in the process of purchase). Additionally, the decision to default to using the Google Play Store and sandbox the apps, rather than use the Aurora Store, also points to these underlying values.
Yeah, I can tell this just from skimming their FAQ and Usage Guides. When they talk about the applications they offer, they always sell it as the most secure thing ever. I still personally care more about privacy than security though.
Posted this above, but it might interest you as an alternative to Vanadium:
Bromite hasn't been updated in a while, so you should at least switch to Cromite if you're not switching to Mull. It's a fork by a previous Bromite contributor and includes some improvements, like a bottom toolbar and adblock plus (so normal block lists, not Bromite's less customizable ad blocker.
Is Vanadium just Bromite under the hood? I thought they were separate projects...
They're different, but according to its readme, Cromite includes "security enhancement patches from GrapheneOS project", so I assume it contains Vanadium's changes as well as other improvements.
Thanks for the clarification! I'll investigate.
Bromite hasn't been updated in a while, so you should at least switch to Cromite if you're not switching to Mull. It's a fork by a previous Bromite contributor and includes some improvements, like a bottom toolbar and adblock plus (so normal block lists, not Bromite's less customizable ad blocker.
I've been using the nightly build, using the desktop extensions for a while now. It's SO worth it. In particular, the YouTube "SponsorBlock" is super convenient.
Why not just install revanced youtube?
I have other tweaks and scripts that I have written for personal usage. Using nightly Firefox makes it so I can use those tweaks universally on desktop and phone.
While I get it, sponsors are what enable the content you watch to even exist. It's one thing if it's youtube ads, but those sponsors are directly partnered with and paying content creators. On the other hand, Patreon is really the best way to go for content you truly care about.
I find this take amusing. Blocking the ads means the content creator doesn't get paid for those ads since they won't get seen by those end users, but sponsor's have already paid the creator for that part. Whether you watch it or not the money has already changed hands, all it does is automate you skipping those segments.
While I agree in the short term, video analytics still come into play for future sponsorships and payouts. Do you think a sponsor will be willing to continue paying a creator if their sponsor segments receive no watch time?
I'm 100% not going to buy anything from those sponsored segments.
Also, there is a white list option for your favorite creators
Oh is there? Maybe I'll check it out then, that's pretty cool
Interesting bootlicker take amidst a content creator strike in Hollywood. Granted YouTube isn't under those Unions, but the power dynamics are quite similar (#YouTubeUnion)
Sponsors don't give a shit about creators, they are just an annoying necessity for the content creator.
Why give a shit about a sponsor who doesn't give a shit about the YouTuber you enjoy?
Do they actually lose anything from these sponsorships if you just skip that part? Because that's basically what the addon does. I'm not sure these sponsorships go as far as looking at minutes watched or whatever, I assumed it's a pre-agreed amount.
must be, because half of them have the sponsor segment as its own chapter in the video, making it super easy to skip. I don't imagine they would make it as easy if they really wanted you to watch it.
I'm sure parent is totally fine being subsidized by all the people not running it.
What about Kiwi and Iceraven (Iceraven is a Firefox fork which has more extensions)
As an iOS user and long time Firefox user (never switched to chrome in my life) I feel jealous. But one can only hope that we too in the APPLE walled garden won't be left behind. Though I understand that it would be a long shot. :(
Apple doesn't allow extensions to be distributed outside of the AppStore and Firefox on Android is based on WebKit anyway because neither do they allow third-party browser engines. So I wouldn't hold my breath.
I've been running Firefox as my default browser on my phone since 2018 without webkit. Even other apps opens their links with geckoview.
It started with FF Focus, shortly after FF Preview, then FF beta and since last year FF for Android.
It's sad to say, but the current restrictions on iOS are likely to be one of the last things holding Chrome/Blink back from total dominance. It's already the default on Android, and it's installed on most computers. So if a real Chrome ever shows up for iOS, web devs won't have any reason to test on Safari anymore. They'll tell their visitors to just download Chrome if it doesn't work on their iPhone or iPad.
If you absolutely want extensions, the Orion browser supports them.
Last time I used it, some bugs kept me away. That was at least a year ago though, it might have gotten better.
I wish they'd add a tablet UI. Doesn't seem to be prioritized whatsoever. Pre-Fenix they had it and have been patiently waiting for tabs to return on large screens ever since, but have lost hope.
Oh my goodness that would be amazing. I’ll drop safari in an instant.
Unfortunatly, this will not be the case on iOS as Apple doesn't allow third-party browser engines and stores
The EU is working on opening that up at least so there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those users
Bummer.
I might get me a damn android.
I’m just buried in their ecosystem. Gah. I’ve been using apple computers and phones since I was a kid. I started on the Quadra 650.
My last mac (which I still use for music recording) was a 2012 Mac Pro. I’ve pretty much gone all in on the phones these days with a Steam Deck as my primary computer but definitely my secondary device.
I have photos on iCloud going back to about 2014 when I stopped jailbreaking my phones. Moving all of that would be no fun at all. Getting used to a new OS wouldn’t be any fun either. I hate doing anything on my uncle’s Samsung.
I really wish there was a third alternative. A good Linux distro centered around phones or something.
I’m an iPhone man, but if weren’t I would be using Google Pixels.
It’s the most polished Android experience I’ve seen so far, and you can do literally whatever you want with them as they have unlockable boot loaders.
I also used iPhones for a long time until I had to switch to a temporary phone due to age-related hardware malfunction. Out of curiosity, I tried /e/ OS and was very pleasantly surprised.
The temporary phone is now in use for at least a year and I also get to enjoy other extraordinary features like USB-C and a headphone-jack. In the future, I may also give LineageOS a try.
I use Firefox and on my android tablet but I dont on my iphone since apple doesn't allow extensions on third party browsers. Its so annoying
It has been for years, no? Or was it mobile-tagged extensions?
Limited to mobile add-ons.
Maybe I'll stop using Brave. Sounds cool af
I remember wanting to try out Firefox on Android but not being able to use it with Tampermonkey which was a real bummer. Better late than never, I guess?
One question on my mind is why it took so long. Is Android a harder platform to make extensions available on or something?
It did support extensions until they basically redesigned the app from the ground up a few years back. They said they'd focus on stability first then move on from there.
You can use tamper monkey now.
Been using Iceraven, although it only supports a handful of extensions such as dark reader and uBlock
Awesome, I won’t need to switch to the desktop version just because I’m missing a few extension.
Firefox on Android used to do this. I switched to Kiwi when they dropped it.
Have had same on my phone. Installed uBlock origin a long time ago
This sounds huge! This may be a dumb question, but: do extensions on mobile require any special security tools that don't already exist?
i hope mozilla is already working on an iOS version for the EU market ;)
This is the only reason why I keep using Safari on iOS. If Firefox can get extensions working for iOS I’ll switch over the day it’s available.
i miss(ed) exactly two things on iOS: a proper imageboard reader (fixed, there are now chance and janchan) and stand alone firefox, wich is now just a matter of time.
I don't see how they would, since ios Firefox doesn't use the same rendering engine it uses on other platforms, Gecko. Instead it has to use Safari, just like any other browser on there.
Duplicating support for all existing extensions would be pretty much impossible if you don't control the rendering engine.
That's going to change in EU as Apple will be forced to allow side loading apps.
this. they simply have to port the version they're developing for android now and we're golden. i guess it might find it's way on non-eu-devices by community builds and testflight.
Yeah it'll be a big task nonetheless. Firefox for Android needed gecko components to be ready to make use of gecko view, their rendering "engine". iOS may be need its own version of gecko view, at least the bindings for it, as well as a new set of components for all the UI elements a full fledged browser may need.
I heard about allowing alternative app stores, but I'm not sure if that also removes the browser engine restrictions. (would make sense though, from an anti-monopoly pov)
The restriction is from App Store, and bypassing it removes that hurdle. Microsoft faced the same issue when they were trying to launch their cloud streaming service within their app, not because they technically couldn't, but because Apple wouldn't let them to.
Ahhh, that makes sense. Thanks!
it does rn, it's just a little more effort to get them but it's not hard
Any reason to switch from Fennec?
Wont Feddec support mobile extensions in the future?
Fennec supports add-ons since forever ago. I've been using it for 3+ years with a full set of my desktop add-ons installed.
Don't think so. Fennec has been doing a great job all through, I'll stick to it unless there's any breaking issue in the future.
But not on ios....How do we get adblocking in ios?
You don't lol. Beg Tim Apple for it.
Firefox on iOS is just safari with a Firefox logo
The weird thing is Safari has extensions
you're buying the wrong phone. this is a limitation imposed only by apple, forcing every browser on iOS to be Safari re-skinned
This guys are just amazing!
Awesome!
I also hope that someday mobile firefox has tagging functionality like on desktop (and tags are synch-able, like bookmarks)
Test
Iceraven already has extensions so it's not the first.
I've been using Kiwi browser for ages and it's had extension support the entire time since I quit using Firefox on mobile.
I would still be using Firefox if it hadn't just kept randomly not loading pages anymore and requiring a restart, because it did at least support the one extension I can't live without; ublock origin, but the bugs were just too much. I might give Firefox mobile another shot when this new version hits stable release.
This is awesome!
Kiwi already does
Does this mean that the storage API will finally be available on mobile? At the moment this is probably my biggest annoyance since I have to manually transfer allow lists for various extensions across desktop and mobile.
safari has been able to do this for years
Vivaldi I meant Kiwi (chromium) also uses the regular chrome web store.
Also, I thought there was a previous version of Firefox Mobile that had access to the desktop add-ons site.
Firefox mobile used to have mobile add-ons but it was separate and naturally therefore more limited.
I thought add-ons were supported in ff mobile, too… I don’t use it, but I’m sure I’ve heard about it...
It supports mobile extensions but not the same desktop browser extensions
Not saying it’s a better implementation, but Safari already does this.
Yeah the article specifies android but the lemmy post generalises it
The more extensions you install in your browser, the more easier is to track your behavior on internet.
I'll be impressed when they actually allow for the installation of extensions from places other than their addon store like I can on the desktop version. Maybe in another 5 years, if Mozilla lasts that long.
That's nice,but it would have been great to get certificates into Firefox mobile. Those are exclusive to Chrome browsers and that sucks.
No clue what you mean. Explain.
I mean mainly allowing usage of user installed certificates required by mTLS,or at least that's my use case. My company requires this in order to get access to company resources or better yet governments also require it for their online services.
Now Brave needs to do the same and also create its own extension store
Brave is a ticking clock counting down. They can continue putting off some of the chromium updates that Google is pushing but eventually they are going to go the way of the rest of the chromium forks.
One more reason to stick with Firefox
Other browsers already do, firefox users just cant stop licking mozillas balls
Firefox has always had been the most attractive to many people.
On mobile? Very few do
The point is they already do unlike what the article claims
It's desktop extensions. Most mobile browsers only support a subset of all available extensions (including Firefox!). Now, Firefox will support its whole library of extensions.
They only mention "open extension ecosystem" idk if that means everything and also I haven't found an extension not working on mine yet I have even installed a flash player extension for flash games on my browser so no opinion on those statements
And those were installed from the mozilla addon library? With full support for a mobile interface? And you tried every extension available?
Flash used to be a mobile extension...
What u highlight desktop for, the article is about android and the 10 extensions it has so far, your own highlight says "about upcoming android release" desktop is only mentioned for devs to optimize their shit for mobile use.
And no my extensions were not from mozilla thats my whole point I can get extensions elsewhere this whole time, which is why I mock mobile mozilla users in the comments thinking mozilla did something revolutionary.
The article is about how i currently Firefox only supports 10 extensions, specifically developed for mobile, but in the future it will allow all the extensions that are available for desktop. And how no other mobile browser so far accepts all desktop extensions, making Firefox the first.
It's really not that hard to understand
I think you're a little confused about what's being said here.
I think youre the one confused other mobile browsers already support extensions, too bad 100 people downvoting lack the skill to google
Cool! So many useful extensions that I couldn't use on android.
Mobile FF is already awesome with UBlock Origin and YT background playback extensions. I wish to install an auto redirect extension. (Twitter to Nitter) I know it is doable on beta w/ extensions etc. but I want to see them on normal Firefox.
Have a look at YouTube ReVanced if you want a much better YouTube experience on Android. :)
use Newpipe, it's free software, unlike revanced.
Or LibreTube
I used to have an app to do the redirection on several sites automically but afair the Nitter thing was just so unstable that I removed the app.
Same, like 30% of the time it worked, the other 70% it would be very slow or not load at all
It might have been some time ago, because even the main instance has been consistently working for me as of recent
Yeah this winter and spring
You can install tamper monkey and use a userscript to redirect. That's what I do.
That's nice, maybe they can finally re-enable about:config in the damn thing too. They removed it from mobile Firefox years ago and the lack of it aggravates the hell out of me.
It's available in nightly (and I think dev) builds
If you don't want to use the potentially unstable Nightly, Dev or Beta, you can use Fennec (stable builds with dev features).
probably in normal Firefox too, it's just hidden in all of them
Fennec still supports it, just as it supports add-ons from the official Mozilla store. Don't see any reason why I should go back to the official app.
Fennec is awesome. I'm never going back to anything else.
Yup. Unless they break anything, which I can't really imagine at this point.
Is there an easy way to migrate from the official app to Fennec? Keeping accounts, extensions and settings?
If you have enabled the sync feature in Firefox, it seamlessly works with Fennec; as does the integration between Fennec and Firefox Desktop. Simply log on with your Firefox account in Fennec, and you won't even feel the difference.
How do I make use of this? I can't see a way to install them on my Fennec from F Droid
You have to add a custom addons collection. That's how.
I haven't gotten around making them and using them, and it seems every guide online is vastly out of date
Doesn't it already support them ?
edit: yes it already supports them, but it seems that now there will be more focus on mobile
edit2: also they forgot about kiwi, but then it's not a major browser (and is it still maintained ?). still would've been cool if they corrected this
Yeah, kiwi is still supported and got an UI update a month ago. But it's chromium based if remember correctly.
it also whitelists ad blockers from working on some, presumably "partnered", websites.
What? You just install the uBlock Origin extension. Are you saying it overrides domain and element blocks from uBlock?
It's open source so if you could point to the code that does it, that would be great: https://github.com/kiwibrowser/src
https://fosstodon.org/@sponsorblock/110803883664782262
Didn't know that. I also got some kind of shady vibes from Kiwi, but never run into any issues with it. Firefox was causing all kinds of problems with pages failing to load so I bailed, but would be glad to return if they fix the bugs and add full extension support.
oh I didn't know, pretty cool
at least both chromium and Firefox get a version with add ons
Nightly versions and Fennec.
Mull too
This article was weird for me also I have all my extension already installed like bitwarden for passwords and all kind of adblockers and scriptblockers
Everyone forgets Kiwi Browser :(
Have been using it for years.
https://fosstodon.org/@sponsorblock/110803883664782262
Kiwi is a mobile only browser if I'm not mistaken. This article is about DESKTOP extensions working on mobile. Firefox already supported a limited set of (mobile) extensions for a while.
Edit. Sorry. I stand corrected. Might try kiwi even.
Well yes, Kiwi supports Chromium extensions, it's the same concept
They already support uBlock origin and that's all I need.
On android I find its also a good idea to have a system wide ad blocker solution because android and all their apps are so inundated by ads, so I recommend dns66 (which can be found on fdroid) which has multiple blocklists you can subscribe to. This will cover some ads thats are built directly into apps and almost all ads that would appear in websites on a browser. This helps a lot since some apps will open a browser window for -reasons- and they sometimes have their own internal browser or they will just use chrome by default, not respecting your default browser choice, and in those cases you cant have ublock installed to protect you and those pages are so ad-overloaded that finding what you are looking for is next to impossible.
Yeah I wish I could edit my hosts file for example so it blocks all advertisement websites.
Try Blokada
I'm using dns.adguard.com as private dns provider in Android s network settings. Am i doing it wrong? I never see ads in any apps or browsers though... they are blocked everywhere
Seems like many people aren't aware that's an option
I've got a Pihole set up running on my NAS but unfortunately it's really difficult to find ad tracking lists that both 1) block ads effectively and 2) don't break a large portion of webpages
Dark Reader too
Whoa 🤯. Never realized this somehow. That's awesome. No ads on mobile.
On iOS or just Android?
Oh on Android for me.
No, no, no! It was supporting all the desktop extensions. For years. Until the damn buggy rewrite for no good reason. And then we were suddenly left with like 5 of them.
For a year after that I was still running the last stable release. But unfortunately the web evolves too fast.
At least with firefox beta, you can create your own collection of extensions and use those. That's what I do and I can install any extension.
More here: https://www.androidpolice.com/install-add-on-extension-mozilla-firefox-android/
I have it on Firefox Nightly with the dev stuff. It's pretty great tbh
Not all extensions appear to be compatible at the moment. I know if I add a couple of my favorite desktop extensions to my collection that it breaks.
Hmm... interesting. I'm able to use ublock and two extensions for fanfiction. That's interesting that it just breaks for you.
Maybe you're lucky with your extensions of choice.
I'm not saying all extensions I tried adding broke the collection - only a couple did; the other extensions worked as expected.
Yeah I suppose so. I have a BUNCH of extension on my desktop Firefox, but I don't need much on my mobile version tbh. Especially since I have a few extensions that work for websites that already have apps (like I have sponsorblock and pockettube for YouTube but there's no point in installing them on my mobile FF since I have the YouTube app so...).
I actively don't use the YouTube app.
No adblocker, sponsorblock, or return the dislike button.
I also don't use the app for a website if the mobile website is good enough. Less software on my phone, so a reduced amount of storage used on apps, fewer updates, hopefully reduced CPU and battery consumption, fewer security issues, reduced data collection, and my phone is just a little cleaner to use. Everyone has their own preference, this is just mine :)
Fair enough. You're a far stronger person then I am haha.
Didn't their pre-version 79 app already support extensions?
I don't know about pre-79, but their current version supports a very, very limited selection of extensions, many of which are to specifically improve the mobile version of Firefox. Currently, only a total of 22 extensions are supported, many of which share the same purposes.
I mean, ad blocking is like 95% of the reason why I want extensions.
And the other 5% is blocking all those stupid consent popups.
They actually have at least four adblockers available in mobile Firefox on Android: uBlock Origin, AdGuard AdBlocker, Ghostery, and AdNauseum.
yeah I'm actually disappointed when they stop doing that
Is still does, experimentally, if you enable developer settings, rather unintuitively through a Firefox Add-Ons account. Developer settings are not available in the official release but the Nightly builds as well as some forks, like 🦊Fennec, include them.
Yes. It did.
But didn't it used to support desktop extensions on mobile before the redesign about 3 years ago? Also, hasn't Kiwi had extensions for like 6 years?
Lol what? I remember using Kiwi browser like 7 years ago and it had extension support...
I use kiwi browser now. It's still there and getting updates.
So did Dolphin....
So did Firefox, oddly enough
Wow I haven't seen this name for a long time
They're finally starting to recover from that crappy firefox 79 update 😮💨
It supported desktop extensions before, then they got rid of that and now they're going to do it again?
Kiwi broswer already does it, same with the Orion browser for iOS
That's why the article itself adds the "major browser" qualification.
Just when Google thought it could kill adblocking…
Well as far as adblocking goes, mobile FireFox already supports uBlock Origin.
Holy Fuck. Call me Ramsay, Finally some delicious fucking tech. the separation gap between mobile and pc has been going on for far too long. anything to help merge the pair. yes. all the yes.
First? What about Kiwi browser? Edit: I just remembered even old firefox supported most desktop addons...
And many others
And yet they've turned their back on *Android tablet users and refuse to support the tab bar.
https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/2344
Ridiculous. Only reason I switched to Vivaldi
if you want to get things done, use a real OS and not an artificially limited mobile OS.
It's long overdue. I've been running Nightly to get around the shockingly limited number of addons available on Firefox for Android. Hopefully Mozzila don't fumble the bag with this as its a great opportunity to steal users from Chrome.
I do find it funny when people talk about how few extensions are supported, when it has the best extension support of any mobile browser.
Like I get it, but still.
Relative to desktop, it is comparatively few.
Best on mobile, yes. The few they allow in FFfA stable is a tiny amount considering how many actually can work, but Mozilla arbitrarily decided they won't allow.
It used to be able to support all desktop addons but they for some reason took that away a while back
The reason was they completely rewrote the mobile browser.
I didn't know it was a mass rewrite, I just assumed they ruined the UI and features to "keep" up with mobile chrome, as most of these big tech companies do
Orion Browser by the team that makes the Kagi search engine makes this possible on ios already
Nah. They use hacks. This is native.
It’s the next best thing on IOS because you can’t install extensions on FF.
Next best thing aint the same thing. Blame Apple for that.
The user's point still stands. He was offering an exception if you don't want to wait on FF or Apple to change something for FF. Quit being smug aka an asshole.
Not being smug at all. They are polar opposites to most people.
I don't care what others are saying, but I've never heard of this browser and I'm definitely going to give it a try. Wish I knew about this one sooner.
I would kill for this on iOS. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy with my Safari Extensions, but I’d rather have uBlock Origin, Stylish etc.
I think I read that it previously supported full blown extension and they removed it due to some under the hood changes.
It did, legacy versions of it had almost full extension support and also even allowed you to install them from storage as xpi files and poke around about:config, then they took away both of those things completely in fenix (only allowing about:config in debug versions and blocking XPI install altogether).
Nothing to do with this thread just saying hello o7
Orion supports Firefox and chrome extensions
Kudos to them for rolling out support more widely, but it's a bit misleading as Firefox nightly/Fennec has supported extensions for years (albeit via a cumbersome process), and Kiwi Browser is also a thing.
I can't understand how folks out there are just rawdogging the Internet out there without ublock or at least a DNS ad filter. Admittedly, Chrome runs a hair more smoothly, but the ability to use extensions like uBlock / DarkReader / Consent-O-Matic make the Firefox experience a tier above.
I just hope this makes it possible to install the Bypass Paywalls extension again so I don't have to hop over to Kiwi for that.
Thanks for cross-posting instead of re-posting!
About time. I'm tempted to switch back to Mull from Bromite, but I'm worried about the security of Firefox compared to Chromium (that's why I switched in the first place), I've heard that particularly Mobile Firefox has awful sandboxing and bad security, I'm pretty sure it was the GrapheneOS team saying this? I'm no security expert though...
Yes it was the GrapheneOS team who said that. See the paragraph just above Camera. I literally just skimmed their guides and saw this yesterday while considering getting a Pixel.
I use Mull and Vanadium on Graphene OS, and the experience on Vanadium is just okay by comparison. It is true that not having extensions does decrease the attack surface, and Vanadium does have a built in ad blocker, but it simply isn't as all encompassing as ublock's list.
I use Mull mainly but don't log into anything with it, and have noscript extension on by default.
I also turn off JS by default in Vanadium. Both browsers have ways of making exceptions for certain sites in this case, but NoScript has more granular control.
I remember reading on reddit a convo that basically the GrapheneOS team was much more concerned with security than privacy. This isn't to say they don't care about privacy at all, just that they will always prioritize security first.
This makes sense considering their decision to only officially support the Pixel line of devices. You still are supporting Google by giving them your money (and a bit of your data in the process of purchase). Additionally, the decision to default to using the Google Play Store and sandbox the apps, rather than use the Aurora Store, also points to these underlying values.
Yeah, I can tell this just from skimming their FAQ and Usage Guides. When they talk about the applications they offer, they always sell it as the most secure thing ever. I still personally care more about privacy than security though.
Posted this above, but it might interest you as an alternative to Vanadium:
Is Vanadium just Bromite under the hood? I thought they were separate projects...
They're different, but according to its readme, Cromite includes "security enhancement patches from GrapheneOS project", so I assume it contains Vanadium's changes as well as other improvements.
Thanks for the clarification! I'll investigate.
Bromite hasn't been updated in a while, so you should at least switch to Cromite if you're not switching to Mull. It's a fork by a previous Bromite contributor and includes some improvements, like a bottom toolbar and adblock plus (so normal block lists, not Bromite's less customizable ad blocker.
Thanks, I hadn't noticed it wasn't updating
There's a good comparison here.
Kiwi Browser
Yep.
I've been using the nightly build, using the desktop extensions for a while now. It's SO worth it. In particular, the YouTube "SponsorBlock" is super convenient.
Why not just install revanced youtube?
I have other tweaks and scripts that I have written for personal usage. Using nightly Firefox makes it so I can use those tweaks universally on desktop and phone.
While I get it, sponsors are what enable the content you watch to even exist. It's one thing if it's youtube ads, but those sponsors are directly partnered with and paying content creators. On the other hand, Patreon is really the best way to go for content you truly care about.
I find this take amusing. Blocking the ads means the content creator doesn't get paid for those ads since they won't get seen by those end users, but sponsor's have already paid the creator for that part. Whether you watch it or not the money has already changed hands, all it does is automate you skipping those segments.
While I agree in the short term, video analytics still come into play for future sponsorships and payouts. Do you think a sponsor will be willing to continue paying a creator if their sponsor segments receive no watch time?
I'm 100% not going to buy anything from those sponsored segments.
Also, there is a white list option for your favorite creators
Oh is there? Maybe I'll check it out then, that's pretty cool
Interesting bootlicker take amidst a content creator strike in Hollywood. Granted YouTube isn't under those Unions, but the power dynamics are quite similar (#YouTubeUnion)
Sponsors don't give a shit about creators, they are just an annoying necessity for the content creator.
Why give a shit about a sponsor who doesn't give a shit about the YouTuber you enjoy?
Do they actually lose anything from these sponsorships if you just skip that part? Because that's basically what the addon does. I'm not sure these sponsorships go as far as looking at minutes watched or whatever, I assumed it's a pre-agreed amount.
must be, because half of them have the sponsor segment as its own chapter in the video, making it super easy to skip. I don't imagine they would make it as easy if they really wanted you to watch it.
I'm sure parent is totally fine being subsidized by all the people not running it.
What about Kiwi and Iceraven (Iceraven is a Firefox fork which has more extensions)
As an iOS user and long time Firefox user (never switched to chrome in my life) I feel jealous. But one can only hope that we too in the APPLE walled garden won't be left behind. Though I understand that it would be a long shot. :(
Apple doesn't allow extensions to be distributed outside of the AppStore and Firefox on Android is based on WebKit anyway because neither do they allow third-party browser engines. So I wouldn't hold my breath.
I've been running Firefox as my default browser on my phone since 2018 without webkit. Even other apps opens their links with geckoview. It started with FF Focus, shortly after FF Preview, then FF beta and since last year FF for Android.
Apple on the other hand..
Sources:
It's sad to say, but the current restrictions on iOS are likely to be one of the last things holding Chrome/Blink back from total dominance. It's already the default on Android, and it's installed on most computers. So if a real Chrome ever shows up for iOS, web devs won't have any reason to test on Safari anymore. They'll tell their visitors to just download Chrome if it doesn't work on their iPhone or iPad.
If you absolutely want extensions, the Orion browser supports them.
Last time I used it, some bugs kept me away. That was at least a year ago though, it might have gotten better.
I wish they'd add a tablet UI. Doesn't seem to be prioritized whatsoever. Pre-Fenix they had it and have been patiently waiting for tabs to return on large screens ever since, but have lost hope.
Oh my goodness that would be amazing. I’ll drop safari in an instant.
Unfortunatly, this will not be the case on iOS as Apple doesn't allow third-party browser engines and stores
The EU is working on opening that up at least so there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those users
Bummer.
I might get me a damn android.
I’m just buried in their ecosystem. Gah. I’ve been using apple computers and phones since I was a kid. I started on the Quadra 650.
My last mac (which I still use for music recording) was a 2012 Mac Pro. I’ve pretty much gone all in on the phones these days with a Steam Deck as my primary computer but definitely my secondary device.
I have photos on iCloud going back to about 2014 when I stopped jailbreaking my phones. Moving all of that would be no fun at all. Getting used to a new OS wouldn’t be any fun either. I hate doing anything on my uncle’s Samsung.
I really wish there was a third alternative. A good Linux distro centered around phones or something.
I’m an iPhone man, but if weren’t I would be using Google Pixels.
It’s the most polished Android experience I’ve seen so far, and you can do literally whatever you want with them as they have unlockable boot loaders.
I also used iPhones for a long time until I had to switch to a temporary phone due to age-related hardware malfunction. Out of curiosity, I tried /e/ OS and was very pleasantly surprised.
The temporary phone is now in use for at least a year and I also get to enjoy other extraordinary features like USB-C and a headphone-jack. In the future, I may also give LineageOS a try.
I use Firefox and on my android tablet but I dont on my iphone since apple doesn't allow extensions on third party browsers. Its so annoying
It has been for years, no? Or was it mobile-tagged extensions?
Limited to mobile add-ons.
Maybe I'll stop using Brave. Sounds cool af
I remember wanting to try out Firefox on Android but not being able to use it with Tampermonkey which was a real bummer. Better late than never, I guess?
One question on my mind is why it took so long. Is Android a harder platform to make extensions available on or something?
It did support extensions until they basically redesigned the app from the ground up a few years back. They said they'd focus on stability first then move on from there.
You can use tamper monkey now.
Been using Iceraven, although it only supports a handful of extensions such as dark reader and uBlock
Awesome, I won’t need to switch to the desktop version just because I’m missing a few extension.
Firefox on Android used to do this. I switched to Kiwi when they dropped it.
Have had same on my phone. Installed uBlock origin a long time ago
https://fosstodon.org/@sponsorblock/110803883664782262
This sounds huge! This may be a dumb question, but: do extensions on mobile require any special security tools that don't already exist?
i hope mozilla is already working on an iOS version for the EU market ;)
This is the only reason why I keep using Safari on iOS. If Firefox can get extensions working for iOS I’ll switch over the day it’s available.
i miss(ed) exactly two things on iOS: a proper imageboard reader (fixed, there are now chance and janchan) and stand alone firefox, wich is now just a matter of time.
I don't see how they would, since ios Firefox doesn't use the same rendering engine it uses on other platforms, Gecko. Instead it has to use Safari, just like any other browser on there.
Duplicating support for all existing extensions would be pretty much impossible if you don't control the rendering engine.
That's going to change in EU as Apple will be forced to allow side loading apps.
this. they simply have to port the version they're developing for android now and we're golden. i guess it might find it's way on non-eu-devices by community builds and testflight.
Yeah it'll be a big task nonetheless. Firefox for Android needed gecko components to be ready to make use of gecko view, their rendering "engine". iOS may be need its own version of gecko view, at least the bindings for it, as well as a new set of components for all the UI elements a full fledged browser may need.
I heard about allowing alternative app stores, but I'm not sure if that also removes the browser engine restrictions. (would make sense though, from an anti-monopoly pov)
The restriction is from App Store, and bypassing it removes that hurdle. Microsoft faced the same issue when they were trying to launch their cloud streaming service within their app, not because they technically couldn't, but because Apple wouldn't let them to.
Ahhh, that makes sense. Thanks!
it does rn, it's just a little more effort to get them but it's not hard
Any reason to switch from Fennec?
Wont Feddec support mobile extensions in the future?
Fennec supports add-ons since forever ago. I've been using it for 3+ years with a full set of my desktop add-ons installed.
Don't think so. Fennec has been doing a great job all through, I'll stick to it unless there's any breaking issue in the future.
But not on ios....How do we get adblocking in ios?
You don't lol. Beg Tim Apple for it.
Firefox on iOS is just safari with a Firefox logo
The weird thing is Safari has extensions
you're buying the wrong phone. this is a limitation imposed only by apple, forcing every browser on iOS to be Safari re-skinned
This guys are just amazing!
Awesome!
I also hope that someday mobile firefox has tagging functionality like on desktop (and tags are synch-able, like bookmarks)
Test
Iceraven already has extensions so it's not the first.
I've been using Kiwi browser for ages and it's had extension support the entire time since I quit using Firefox on mobile. I would still be using Firefox if it hadn't just kept randomly not loading pages anymore and requiring a restart, because it did at least support the one extension I can't live without; ublock origin, but the bugs were just too much. I might give Firefox mobile another shot when this new version hits stable release.
This is awesome!
Kiwi already does
Does this mean that the storage API will finally be available on mobile? At the moment this is probably my biggest annoyance since I have to manually transfer allow lists for various extensions across desktop and mobile.
safari has been able to do this for years
VivaldiI meant Kiwi (chromium) also uses the regular chrome web store.Also, I thought there was a previous version of Firefox Mobile that had access to the desktop add-ons site.
Firefox mobile used to have mobile add-ons but it was separate and naturally therefore more limited.
I thought add-ons were supported in ff mobile, too… I don’t use it, but I’m sure I’ve heard about it...
It supports mobile extensions but not the same desktop browser extensions
oh, I see. well, now it will, which is good
Stop lying, Kiwi has been around for so long
They probably mean official browsers, not random forks.
How is Kiwi less a browser than firefox? Non-sense
It's an inofficial fork of an official browser. Where are you struggling to comprehend this?
An "official" browser? So the web relies on named authorities now? That's just disrespect from big players. This shall not be tolerated.
https://fosstodon.org/@sponsorblock/110803883664782262
Not saying it’s a better implementation, but Safari already does this.
Yeah the article specifies android but the lemmy post generalises it
The more extensions you install in your browser, the more easier is to track your behavior on internet.
I'll be impressed when they actually allow for the installation of extensions from places other than their addon store like I can on the desktop version. Maybe in another 5 years, if Mozilla lasts that long.
That's nice,but it would have been great to get certificates into Firefox mobile. Those are exclusive to Chrome browsers and that sucks.
No clue what you mean. Explain.
I mean mainly allowing usage of user installed certificates required by mTLS,or at least that's my use case. My company requires this in order to get access to company resources or better yet governments also require it for their online services.
Now Brave needs to do the same and also create its own extension store
Brave is a ticking clock counting down. They can continue putting off some of the chromium updates that Google is pushing but eventually they are going to go the way of the rest of the chromium forks.