latest
Best VPN add-ons for Firefox in 2024
Adding a VPN extension to Firefox will turn your browser into an IP-shifting tool that also lets you surf the internet more securely
Used by an estimated 360 million worldwide internet users, Mozilla Firefox is the fourth most popular web browser on the planet. It's also thought to be one of the more secure options available, particularly if you use its private browsing mode. So what's the point of getting a VPN add-on for Firefox? For starters, running a VPN extension on your browser when using the internet on insecure Wi-Fi networks can still leave you exposed. Connecting to a VPN will encrypt all of your traffic while you surf using Mozilla's browser.
Firefox for Android can tell websites you don't want your data sold or shared
Whether they comply or not is a different story
Although third-party cookies are being phased out, there is still plenty of data being shared between advertisers across the internet. If you aren’t on top of your privacy settings, you could be inadvertently giving websites access to your information, which can then be sold. Now, Firefox has rolled out a new setting for Android users to ensure that they maintain control over how their data is managed.
This Firefox for Android feature you've been begging for is finally here
Check out the browser's massive new extension library
After what feels like a century, Firefox for Android users can finally stop mourning the loss of third-party add-ons. Following the 2020 revamp that was supposed to make everything sleek and secure, users were left with a meager handful of extensions. Now as promised, proper extension support has finally arrived on Firefox on Android, allowing users to customize their browsing experience and bid farewell to some of the web's most irritating quirks.
Firefox is giving Android users a sneak peek at its open extensions
Starting December 14, these extensions will be up for grabs on Firefox for Android
Firefox for Android used to let you add extensions, but that feature was removed in 2020 when Mozilla did a major overhaul for security and a user-friendly interface. Unfortunately, that decision took a hit on extension compatibility. In August of this year, Mozilla revealed that it's bringing back an "open ecosystem of extensions" for Firefox on Android, and now it has thrown us a little preview of these add-ons.
YouTube seems to have slowed down Firefox load times in effort to block ads
YouTube has added a five-second delay to thwart ad blocking, but may have caught Firefox users in the process
In an effort to crack down on ad blockers, Google recently started requiring users to disable them to continue viewing videos on YouTube. However, this might not have been the only measure it’s taken to get the point across, and it looks like some users of third-party browsers were inadvertently caught in the crossfire. Firefox and Edge users believe they’re being forced to endure a delay when opening a YouTube video.
Firefox browser gets new built-in tools for keeping your email address safe
Integrated Firefox Relay support is rolling out for Firefox Account users
The online world can be as treacherous as it is vast. Navigating the myriad of email requests from various websites and trying to protect one's personal information can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. Enter Firefox Relay, Mozilla's answer to preserving user privacy while browsing the internet.
Firefox is bringing back full browser extension support to Android
Bringing the desktop experience to your Android device
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox may be based on different engines, but they are some of our favorite browsers on Android. They have desktop clients as well, but the Android apps only deliver core functionality, and we miss out on the true personalization experience that comes with browser extensions. Now, Mozilla is prepping for full-fledged extension support on the Firefox Android app, with advice for extension developers going live.
Firefox Relay's latest update makes it a powerful spam filtering tool
You can now create new or use your existing email aliases with just a couple of clicks
Our email inboxes are getting increasingly cluttered with promotional and junk emails, and email forwarding services can help clear some of that clutter. Mozilla’s own Firefox Relay has been one of the most notable spam filtering tools that was earlier available only for the Firefox browser but added support for third-party browsers like Google Chrome not too long ago. The company is now making it easier to find and create email aliases across sites with a new spruced-up version of Firefox Relay.
Firefox 111 for Android is here to block cross-site tracking
The browser now also comes with a built-in PDF viewer
Google Chrome is the most popular browser on Android, but there are plenty of other web browsers on the Play Store worth trying. Mozilla Firefox is one of them, and thanks to its partial support for extensions, it ranks among our favorite web browsers for Android. Just like Chrome, Mozilla rolls out major Firefox updates once a month with new features and underlying changes. After picking up one of Android 13's nicest features in February, Mozilla has released Firefox 111 for Android with cross-site blocking enabled by default.
Firefox for Android is finally getting more extensions
Three new extensions join the short list of officially supported Firefox add-ons
Like many of the best web browsers, Firefox has been adding new features in response to user requests for greater online privacy. This includes a free tool called Firefox Relay, which lets you use email aliases to hide your identity while signing up for various marketing campaigns. After being exclusive to Firefox, the service was made available as an extension in Google Chrome last year, along with a few enhancements such as the ability to block some or all promotional emails. These capabilities are now being expanded to Firefox on Android, which has received additional extensions for the first time since 2020.
Mozilla Firefox picks up one of Android 13’s nicest features
A themed app icon finally comes to Firefox for Android
Android 13 came with quite a few under-the-hood improvements and new features, but themed icon support for all apps is one that really stood out. The only caveat is that developers have to first enable it for their software — and as you can guess, app makers don’t seem to be in a rush to add support. Still, several mainstream apps have picked up the new icons that match your phone’s wallpaper, and Mozilla Firefox is the latest to jump on the bandwagon.
Apple joins forces with Google and Mozilla for a big upgrade to Speedometer
Coming together for version 3 of the browser benchmark
Google Chrome is the default browser on the best Android phones and is also a popular desktop web browser. It competes with Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and many open-source alternatives in addition to the web browser found on Apple products, Safari. While each browser has its positives and negatives, developers rely on metrics like browser benchmarks to determine the area where a particular offering shines. Speedometer is one such benchmark tool — it was set up by Apple's WebKit team back in 2014 — but it's only seen one major upgrade and that was way back in 2018. Well, the WebKit team is now joining up with folks on the Chrome and Firefox sides to develop the next big iteration of the benchmark service, unsurprisingly named Speedometer 3.
The vast majority of us use Google's Chrome browser, but it's not like we're short on alternatives. There are plenty of third-party browsers out in the wild, and one of the best browsers for Android is a historical rival of Chrome, Mozilla Firefox. The browser is far from its days of market domination, but it's still a very solid option in its own right and one of the few browsers out there that's not based on Chromium. Version 108 is now available for Android smartphones, and it comes with a series of improvements and additions to make your browsing experience better.
Firefox 106 introduces Firefox View, a new way to organize recently closed tabs
Mac users gain access to two handy features as well
Mozilla's Firefox is no longer as popular as it used to be, with Chrome being the browser of choice for most users who surf the web. There are multiple reasons behind Firefox's demise, including anticompetitive behavior from Google, Apple, and Microsoft that makes it difficult for users to switch to another browser. This does not mean Mozilla has given up on Firefox, though. It celebrated the launch of Firefox 100 with a significant milestone release in May this year with several new features. Now, Firefox 106 is ready for release with enhanced customization, privacy, and accessibility options.
From phone calls, to emails, to text messages, as soon as we invent a new way to communicate, someone's going to start spamming people on it. Mozilla has a service called Firefox Relay that was designed to help keep spammers at bay, letting you protect your contact info through the use of email aliases. That system is now widening its scope to phone numbers, hoping to help similarly save you from spam SMS and annoying robocallers.
Mozilla blames Google's lock-in practices for Firefox's demise
Making the case not everyone likes Chrome
There used to be a time when Google's Chrome browser had tough competition from Mozilla's Firefox and, to some degree, Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Those two, however, have fizzled out over time as Chrome became the undisputed king of the web space. Now, Mozilla is calling out Google and other companies for anticompetitive practices that have led not only to Firefox's downfall but for limiting user choice as well.
Privacy fans using Firefox Relay may soon be able to farm phone numbers
You can forward messages to your main number or let the spam pile up
Firefox Relay began as a way for people to set up modest email farms to field and forward signups, logins, and spam to or away from their primary accounts. It's grown to be a bit more than that with some improvements in March including a beefier attachment limit. Now, as it prepares take its Relay Premium program up a notch, there's word of new features that'll be coming along for the ride.
Firefox extension developed with George Lucas's ILM ensures colors are consistent across devices
Gotta match 'em all
Say you find the perfect shade of blue for your website while using your laptop, and then you see it on a new device like a tablet, and it's completely different. That's because browser color profiles can change across devices, which can make colors sometimes look very different. Usually, browsers are leveraging operating system color management to display colors and pictures with an optimal, but generalized user experience in mind. There's a new Firefox extension that can help you ensure colors remain true to a creator's vision anytime you see them in a browser.
Mozilla is finally adding AV1 support to Firefox a full two years after Chrome and Edge
Better late than never?
If you have Chrome or Edge on a Windows 10 machine with an updated software package and great graphics support, you can probably run the AV1 video codec. As far back as 2020, Google and Microsoft were officially supporting hardware acceleration in their flagship browsers, but the Mozilla Foundation didn't make including AV1 video support in Firefox a priority because it requires PCs with up-to-date, more powerful hardware. According to Mozilla, that was just a small percentage of PCs.
Can Firefox replace Google Chrome on your Android phone?
Firefox has come a long way since last year's redesign
Mozilla Firefox might be a beloved desktop browser, but on Android, its market share looks like nothing but a rounding error. That might be one of many reasons why Mozilla decided to rewrite its mobile browser from scratch with a new rendering engine, a revamped interface, better performance, and more privacy features. Now that Mozilla has had one and a half years to fine-tune the product, I decided to give this new Firefox a thorough test on my Android phone to see how it compares against the standard most people stick with, Google Chrome.