Firefox for Android gets a major update with lots of innovative features

Mozilla today announced a major update for Firefox app on Android devices. This update comes with entirely redesigned interface, new customization options and more.

Firefox for Android features:

• Firefox for Android now offers Enhanced Tracking Protection, providing a better web experience. The revamped browsing app comes with our highest privacy protections ever – on by default.
• Now, Private Mode is easily accessible from the Firefox for Android homescreen and users have the option to create a private browsing shortcut on their Android homescreen, which will launch the browsing app automatically in the respective mode and allow users to browse privately on-the-go.
• With regard to appearance, the new user interface is cleaner, easier to handle and to make it one’s own: users can set the URL bar at the bottom or top of the screen, improving the accessibility of the most important browser element especially for those with smartphones on the larger side.
• Collections help to stay organized online, making it easy to return to frequent tasks, share across devices, personalize one’s browsing experience and get more done on mobile.
• Multitaskers, who want to get more done while watching videos, will also enjoy the new Picture-in-Picture feature.
• Bright or dark, day or night: Firefox for Android simplifies toggling between Light and Dark Themes, depending on individual preferences, vision needs or environment. Those who prefer an automatic switch may also set Firefox to follow the Android setting, so that the browsing app will switch automatically to dark mode at a certain time of day.
• Revamped extensions experience. We’re kicking it off with the top 9 add-ons for enhanced privacy and user experience from our Recommended Extensions program.

Under the hood improvements:

• It’s faster. The technology we used in the past limited our capability to further improve the browser as well as our options to implement new features. Now, we’re free to decide and our release cycle is flexible. Also, GeckoView makes browsing in Firefox for Android significantly speedier.
• It’s built on our standards: private and secure. With our own engine we set the ground rules. We can decide independently which privacy and security features we want to make available for our mobile users and are entirely free to cater to our unique high standards.
• It’s independent, just like our users. Unlike Edge, Brave and Chrome, Firefox for Android is not based on Blink (Google’s mobile engine). Instead Firefox for Android is based on GeckoView, Mozilla’s wholly-built engine. This allows us to have complete freedom of choice when it comes to implementation of standards and features.

You can download the updated Firefox app here from Play Store.

Source: Mozilla