Thread 106462080

Is Firefox any good in android? It's my main browser in PC but is the mobile version better than chrome or Brave?

Yes.

Yeah it's good. It actually lets you use all the same addons as the desktop version.

Unrelated but should I switch to firefox on mobile I am using jelly right now.

>>106462164
Yeah

>>106462080 (OP)
It serves my needs just fine, but I am not a heavy mobile user, I just shitpost while on the toilet. And I actually prefer its UI to the Chromium browsers I've tried, but I know a lot of anons hate it. Like the others said, it's main advantage is the extension support. It also lets you listen to YouTube videos with the screen off like Brave does. Another anon complained about overheating, but I don't use the phone enough to be able to tell if this is a genuine issue and, if so, if it is a Firefox specific issue or just a phone browser issue in general.

I only use it on desktop. Brave is better for blocking ads and youtube on Android.

>>106462481
>Brave is better for blocking ads and youtube on Android.
Is it? Because Firefox offers the same functions with uBlock Origin. Maybe it doesn't on iPhone because of Apple's retarded restrictions or whatever, but that doesn't matter.

>>106462080 (OP)
Firefox sells your information now. Use Librewolf on PC and Waterfox on Android. They are both forks that do not sell your information. Librewolf has so many safety precautions though that you'll have to make some changes to the default settings for most sites to function properly. The only downside to Librewolf.

>>106462080 (OP)
Yes. It has addon support. I think it even suggests uBlock Origin.

>>106462080 (OP)
On* android
ESL fuckhead

>>106463447
Not OP, but it could also be a typo. I and O are right next to each other and I've accidentally pressed the wrong one before.

>>106463535
Actually nvm, he did it twice. Carry on.

>>106462080 (OP)
two words: full ublock

>>106462080 (OP)
It's OK.
They fucked it up like 10 years ago so it's not as customizable and they took away most addons but I think that's fixed now. I still can't save as pdf.

They still haven't fixed the bug i reported.

>>106462127
Yep, got to have my ublock origin to make shit like youtube even remotely usable. I use Firefox on my phone instead of most apps.

>>106462080 (OP)
>Is Firefox any good in android?
I use it. It works. That's about it.

>>106462989
You absolute tard, Librewolf uses the exact same Firefox code (you know, that code that is supposedly selling your information despite nobody offering up any proof of that)

>>106462080 (OP)
It's ok by itself and ublock origin is a considerable advantage, but tab handling is sort of fucked. So if you're using just one tab, you'll be fine, but if you use multiple, it's not that great of an experience.

>>106462080 (OP)
ublock and youtube, works like on desktop no need for yt apps, muh whole sideloading discussion irrelevant

>>106464143
no fucking clue what you mean, maybe get some more ram or habit of cleaning old/one time use tabs

>>106462127
not really
only some of them

>>106464256
use nightly, it allows all

>>106464256
inb4 half of them are hard to navigate in settings, then go back to main and use curated list, on nightly you can have your full blown desktop experience tho

>>106462080 (OP)
I have fennec. extensions so far

I found Firefox to be better with add-ons on Android (the aforementioned uBlock Origin being the key), but slower and less compatible with some sites. I actually got a site demanding I "upgrade" to a new browser when I visited in Firefox. I'll try again maybe nightly to see if it has improved. Brave has adblock built in that works well enough, and is based on Chromium which is the Internet Explorer of 2025 so more things are compatible and it is fast.

>>106464270
>>106464290
good to know about nightly

>>106464087
you just contradicted yourself
what a clown
educate yourself before embarrassing yourself further

>>106464305
chromium is dead, even on desktop ppl are jumping through hoops to get proper adblocking, with fennec/ff nightly you get full protection from google bullshit, and it also allows you to play yt vids as audio with locked phone, no fucking need for appa, you get the same experience as on desktop, but whatever, if manifest2 kill didn't make you change go graphene, install play store and buy yt premium, sheep can't be helped

>>106464371
Brave has built in adblocking and plans to maintain Manifest v2 as long as possible.

>>106464270
Nightly? I've been using Firefox mobile for like 10 years and it's always supported my extensions.

>>106464386
brave is chromium so means shit as googol will make maintaining manifestv2 as hard as possible and they will fold, they have like 2-3 devs on repackaging chromium with their crypto shit, inb4 we tried guise but the resources needed are just too damn high, welcome back to google adnetwork

>>106464387
you either use fennec/ffbeta/ffnightly or some flavour of dev build or you're just using only the pre-approved extensions, no idea man, but main ff apk only allows like 10-15 extensions, gotta go nightly or fennec for tampermonkey etc

>>106464237
It's got nothing to do with the tab hibernation/ram issues that were more common in the past.
What I mean is that Firefox is fairly odd when handling new tabs. If you tap the new tab button, you don't actually get a new tab, it just changes to the home page. If you enter a new url there, Firefox may either open a new tab, or just reuse the current one (so you still have a single tab). There is no real explanation how Firefox decides this and no way to go around it unless you install something like the Essential Buttons extension, which creates a toolbar where you can add a proper new tab button.
So yeah, if you're just using a single tab all the time or you just open new tabs from links by holding down the link and selecting the popup menu, it's fine. Otherwise it can be a bit infuriating.

>>106462080 (OP)
They broke the back button for google searches a while ago. Has to do with privacy shit to prevent data leaking from autoentry and because there are special codepaths for google.com. If they can unfuck that finally, I have no complaint for now.

They are trying out a new menu which is fucked too, but for now I can turn it off.

>>106464471
change fucking new tab behaviour in options

>>106464471
nigga what

>>106462080 (OP)
Yes, of course.
I want my extensions and synchronization with the desktop browser.
How the fuck do you guys even live with browsers without synchronization? It's way too practical.

Also, Chrome is literal spyware, so it's a non-starter.

>>106464341
How the fuck did he contradict himself?
People are spouting the same shit about Firefox, without ever providing the link to the code where said identifiable information is captured.
It's like they don't know what "open-source" means.

>>106464597
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/firefox-deletes-promise-to-never-sell-personal-data-asks-users-not-to-panic/

>>106464513
Where?

>>106464534
He's right. That's the behaviour I have on mine.

>>106464513
Are you sure you are talking about Firefox for Android here?
>>106464534
Basically, Firefox does not open a new tab when you tap the new tab button (if you are on nightly, there is a secret setting to override this, which is still a bit buggy), and there is a chance that, upon trying to enter a url, Firefox decides to just recycle the tab you were on instead of creating another. It's a weird behavior that resulted in the entire HNT tracker in bugzilla.
HNT would be the solution and it would be right around the corner, but when it comes to Mozilla, "right around the corner" can mean anywhere between 2 months and 14 years.

>>106464607
Ok. Now show me the piece of code that captures personally identifiable data and sends it to Mozilla. Go on, I'll wait.

Wanna know why no one has EVER linked to that? Because it doesn't exist.
Absolutely no one would use Firefox if that were to be the case, and all Linux distros would drop it as the default browser.
All alarms will blare the moment a commit arrives with spyware-grade code on Firefox.

>>106464698
>HNT
What does that mean?

>>106464652
>>106464698
been using it for years and it never happened, new tab opens a new tab and does nothing to other tabs, every single time
must be some weird bug in a specific configuration

i have it like this
>tabs: grid / never / off
>homepage: all off / homepage

>>106464712
Homepage as a New Tab. It changes the behavior of the new tab button so that it actually open a new tab with the homepage on it, same as you would expect in any other browser.
If you are on Firefox nightly, you can enable it in the secret settings section, following these instructions:
https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/mobile/android/fenix/Secret-settings-debug-menu-instructions.html
Obviously it's a work in progress, but for the most part it's ok.

>>106462080 (OP)
yes

>>106464772
He's not moving any goal posts though.
You are aware that Librewolf is using the exact same source code as vanilla Firefox, right? If there is some secret "sells all your data" sauce in there somewhere then that is also embedded in Librewolf and any other forks.

>>106465001
No he's actually right

>>106462080 (OP)
Firefox is awful on Android, but IronFox makes it great again.

>>106465109
He's right that Californian law requires them to remove their promise of selling your data. He's incorrect to say that they are selling your data (they're not. If you think they are then prove it. Asking for proof is not moving any goal posts, especially since if they are in fact selling your data then that will still affect your Librewolf usage as Librewolf is using the exact same source code. The whole notion that using Librewolf shields you from this is bonkers)

>>106465164
>He's right
sheeeit that's all you had to say negro

>>106465179
He's not though. Worse, he thinks that Librewolf is somehow not selling your data but Mozilla is, even though that it is the exact same code with a different logo.
They're not selling your data, you can't prove it because they're not doing that.

>>106465187
>even though that it is the exact same code
except Librewolf still has the part about not selling your personal data in their source code. Firefox does not.

>>106465207
You mean the part that was never in the code to begin with? It was their website that they changed, not the Firefox source code.

>>106465215
you're retarded and wrong and my time is wasted by communicating with you

>>106465219
Post the code or admit you're wrong. This should not be a difficult thing for you to do. Where is the spyware?

>>106465235
>>106465219
Ah, you seem to forgotten how to communicate because you're wasting your time going in circles trying to convince yourself of something that was never actually in the browser to begin with.

I'll post it for you. This was what they actually changed:
https://github.com/mozilla/bedrock/commit/d459addab846d8144b61939b7f4310eb80c5470e

NOTE: This is the source code for their website, nothing about the browser has changed in any way whatsoever as a direct result of this. You won't find this code anywhere in Librewolf as it's not a part of the browser, it's a part of Mozilla's website which contains their privacy policy and terms of use.

>>106465279
Hacker News thread if anyone wants more context:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43201332

They didn't want to drop that promise but retarded California law made them. The legal definition of "sells your data" is way to broad in some jurisdictions to the point that me typing this text in a textarea of a public web page that contains tracker scripts could be considered "Sells your data".
Mozilla only changed the policy to cover their own ass.

Brave mogs

its so fucking slow on my shitty, cheap ass Samsung m13 so I just use brave.

Kiwi was the only good browser.
>tabs as a list instead of a grid
>new tab could be opened to an unlimited list of bookmarks instead of a maximum of 8 shortcuts like in other browsers
>could add any extension
>dedicated new tab button on the toolbar
>address bar and toolbar both at the bottom
All other browsers have shit in dumb places where you have to make too many presses to get to. If the user has to hold/press a button twice just to open a new tab, then your browser is shit. Firefox is a bit wonky and Edge glows in the dark but they're probably the 2 best.

>>106463552
this, and bypass paywalls clean (the paywall blocker so good it got banned from Mozilla's store).
>>106464270
You don't need nightly any more. Any extension can be installed via file if you enable the debug menu.

>>106462271
>>106462080 (OP)
I prefer it on android but fuck I HATE the new page. I just want a list of my bookmarks, not this pocket/recently visited//ad shit

>>106468544
>I just want a list of my bookmarks, not this pocket/recently visited//ad shit
nearly every android browser forces this on you which is fucking braindead
makes me think that the people developing this shit have never used their product for more than 2 minutes

>>106464471
>Essential Buttons extension
based, thank you
literally makes firefox usable

>>106468608
It's because Mozilla went out of its way to disable and make it impossible to edit the new tab page to anything else, on purpose.

>>106468682
They still let you turn all that stuff off if you want

>>106468721
You can turn it off on android, but you can't change it to show your bookmarks on new tab, which it used to years ago

Firefox is troon-coded

>>106462080 (OP)
only merit of mobile version of is add-ons, which is a big enough reason.
Otherwise, it is inferior to chrome in every conceivable way.
Slower, worse video player (if site didnt feel like doing custom stuff), uses more battery.
Like in anubis PoW checks, chrome finishes instantly when firefox can take up to 7 seconds (same phone)

>>106469858
>uses more battery
Source?

>>106462080 (OP)
Yes, and you can add uBlock to it, too.

>>106469858
>Like in anubis PoW checks, chrome finishes instantly when firefox can take up to 7 seconds (same phone)
Did you try this in a controlled environment and confirm that Firefox and Chrome were both served the same attestation (Anubis can be configured to serve different challenges to different clients)?
I use Anubis on a small website I built and don't see any major speed differences between Firefox Nightly and Chromite, at least on my handset.

>>106469886
Bump for this

>>106469886
>>106471212
They're probably referring to a bug it had where background usage would be incorrectly accounted for as usage on Android (the stats Android reported were incorrect and made it seem like Firefox was using much more battery than it actually was. They fixed it to report usage properly)

>>106464754
I have the same settings as you, and when I open a new tab and IMPORTANT -> don't search for anything, a new tab is actually not opened. It's just a menu.

Do this test:
1) Press "New tab" and don't search anything
2) Fully close the browser app
3) Open it again and observe the new tab is not there.

>>106464767
Thank you. I understand now.
I hope that lands on stable soon.

>>106465207
>Librewolf still has the part about not selling your personal data in their source code
Ah yes, I'm sure the C compiler cares a lot about that "code".
Fucking retard.
/g/ is becoming more tech-illiterate by the day, it's amazing.

>>106465346
>>106465279
Thank you for providing actually useful information, anon.
I think he's just baiting.

And fuck californian laws. They should've explicitly stated on the website something like:
"We would say that we never sell your data but we're legally obliged by retarded californian laws to not do it."

>>106462080 (OP)
Get Fennec from Fdroid.

>>106468174
>tabs as a list instead of a grid
You mean like in Firefox?

>>106471405
that's bs PR, they bought an ad company for a reason, their managers noticed the leftover from good days on their website and pushed to change it as they have been selling user data for a long time with their opt-out bs they've been pushing for years, anonymized (as much as we can) or not they have been selling their user data

>>106471447
I agree that those opt-outs shouldn't exist.
But still, there is no piece of code on Firefox where identifiable information is exfiltrated without the user's knowledge.

>>106464471
>>106468619
>Essential Buttons extension
Very nice!
But I would like something simpler. I just need a readily available button to close tab, or a motion shortcut perhaps.
Anyone knows a way to close the tab other than having to long-press the tabs button?

>>106464304
>>106464445
>>106471418
on android i have fennec 142.00 and new to ironfox with 142.01. both won't show pages unless all extensions are disabled (if i turn them off and on again they work for a few minutes but its fucking annoying). is anyone experiencing the same problem?

extentions are ublock origin, tampermonkey, decentral eyes, privacy badger and ghostery.

>>106469794
I was checking on the assembly code in the executable and I didn't really find much difference to other pieces of software.
Could this "troon-code" you mention be automatically discarded by the compiler?

>>106469858
>Slower
Any benchmarks proving this?

Firefox Android looked good but then in 2017 they ruined the design and made it look like a high school project

>>106462080 (OP)
It's less secure than Chrome/Brave, and less performant.
It's only benefit is having access to uBlock Origin which is still better than Brave's adblock, but only slightly.

>>106464256
You should use either beta or nightly.

>>106471901
>It's less secure than Chrome/Brave
Bullshit

>>106471901
>It's less secure than Chrome/Brave
Sure thing bro.

>>106471437
>amazon.in
>.in
good morning saar

>>106472813
fission isolation sucks ass or nonexistent

>>106472490
>>106472813
I understand that you're a Firefox fanboy, and I also use Firefox browsers almost exclusively. But, please be real. It's the objective reality that they're less secure than Chromium, especially on mobile. Do your research before crying about people stating facts.