14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has recently announced that its new Firefox browser for Android will support extensions, bringing it in line with its desktop sibling.
The new Firefox for Android based on GeckoView is currently in Preview, and Mozilla says it’s already seeing “great feedback” regarding the performance of the application.
The next step in the development of the new browser is adding support for add-ons, and Mozilla explains that the development team has started building support for extensions through the WebExtensions API.
Firefox Preview should receive the new functionality sometime in 2020, but for now, no specifics are available. On the other hand, Mozilla says this could take a while, and you are recommended not to try to install extensions in Firefox Preview.
Early extension support coming in H1 2020
Some may work, Mozilla acknowledged, but since they’re not officially supported, other issues could be experienced when using the browser.
“Bringing GeckoView and Firefox Preview up to par with the APIs that were supported previously in Firefox for Android won’t happen overnight. For the remainder of 2019 and leading into 2020, we are focusing on building support for a selection of content from our Recommended Extensions program that work well on mobile and cover a variety of utilities and features,” Mozilla explains.
“While some members of the community have discovered that some extensions inadvertently work in Firefox Preview, we do not recommend attempting to install them until they are officially supported as other issues may arise.”
Mozilla says the first implementation of extensions in Firefox Preview on Android should be ready in the first half of the next year, but no ETA is available just yet, though it could see daylight later in 2020.
Firefox Preview is available today, but without support for extensions, albeit it’s really worth a try, especially if you’re an avid Firefox user on the desktop.