14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla is working on a new browser for Android, and the project is currently called Firefox Preview, being supposed to replace Firefox for Android later this year.
In other words, Mozilla is building a completely new browser for Android with more capabilities and everything, including support for extensions.
The work on extension support in this browser advances well, and Mozilla says it wants to add as many add-ons as possible from the Recommended Extensions program. This means that extensions that are included in this program and available on the desktop could soon go live on mobile as well.
The first extension to become available in the new Android browser was uBlock Origin, one of the most popular ad blockers, and this week, Mozilla is further expanding the list with a series of new extensions.
There are five new extensions that go live for Firefox Preview for Android this week, as it follows:
- Dark Reader – automatically invert bright colors on web pages
- HTTPS Everywhere – force websites to use HTTPS instead of HTTP
- NoScript – malicious script blocker
- Privacy Badger – tracking blocker and extra privacy options
- Search by Image – look for images using several search engines
“While we’re pleased to offer these six highly recommended add-ons as a starting point, it’s clear that add-on developers have more great ideas for extensions that can enhance the mobile browsing experience. We intend to enable more add-ons from the Recommended Extensions program within the next few months and will be reaching out to developers soon,” Mozilla says.
Firefox Preview for Android
The new Firefox browser for Android was announced in mid-2019, and it is based on GeckoVIew, the mobile browser engine developed by Mozilla.
Technically, GeckoView allows Mozilla to expand the Firefox experience beyond the desktop, so with this new Android version, the company can further improve the consistency between its browsers.
One of the major benefits of GeckoView is that it supports extensions on mobile devices through the WebExtensions API, and this is how Mozilla wants to make the whole thing happen.
But of course, every extension that makes its way to mobile devices must first be optimized for a mobile experience, which includes additional tweaking for reduced battery usage and improved performance. This is why Mozilla does the whole thing at a rather slow pace, all using add-ons in the Recommended Extensions program.
“We want to ensure that any add-on supported in the new Firefox for Android provides an exceptional, secure mobile experience to our users. To this end, we are prioritizing Recommended Extensions that are optimized for different screen sizes and cover common mobile use cases. For these reasons, it’s possible that not all the add-ons you have previously installed in Firefox for Android will be supported in the near future. When an add-on you previously installed becomes supported, we will notify you,” Mozilla says.
The new Firefox Preview for Android doesn’t yet have a release date, but it should go live later this year. Once this one goes live, the existing Firefox for Android browser will most likely be pulled, as it doesn’t make much sense to maintain two different browsers at the same time.
Additional extensions would most likely be announced soon for Firefox Preview on Android, especially as the work on finalizing the new mobile browser is moving closer to the final development stage.