Developers from Mozilla the migration of Firefox 68 users for the Android platform to the new browser, which is being developed as part of the project. , which was recently offered to all users as an update to “.” The minimum platform requirements have been raised to Android 5.
Fenix The GeckoView engine, built on Firefox Quantum technologies, and the set of libraries , which are already being used to build browsers and . GeckoView is a variant of the Gecko engine presented as a separate library that can be updated independently, and Android Components includes libraries with standard components that ensure the operation of tabs, input autocompletion, search suggestions, and other browser features.
Enthusiasts dissatisfied with the changes in the new Firefox for Android a synchronized fork of the project — Iceweasle Mobile, which aims to provide enhanced customization options and display more information about the pages being viewed. Aside from the name, the project has nothing in common with the Iceweasel fork supplied in Debian and is being developed by a separate team. APK packages have been prepared for download, which manually based on the current Fenix codebase, but with no guarantee of delivering fixes and without using digital signatures.
In Iceweasle Mobile, access to the about:config settings has been restored (in Fenix, this page is disabled by default). In addition to officially supported add-ons in Fenix, the fork allows the installation of other add-ons — due to the use of Mozilla Android Components, most add-ons will not work without modification, but users have the option to attempt to install any add-ons, without strictly limiting their list. The tab switching interface has been redesigned and styled like the old Firefox for Android. Future plans include work on disabling telemetry and proprietary code.
Features of the new Firefox for Android (Fenix):
- A dark mode interface, the default relocation of the address bar to the bottom of the screen, and a new pop-up block for switching between open tabs (Tab Tray).
- A "picture-in-picture" mode has been added, allowing you to play videos in a small window while viewing other content or working in another application.
- The display of the protocol (https://, http://) and the subdomain "www." has been removed from the address bar. The status of a secure connection is indicated by an icon. To view the full URL, you need to click on the address bar and enter URL editing mode.
- Enhanced tracking protection tools have been added and enabled by default, similar to the desktop version of Firefox, blocking ads with tracking code, web analytics counters, social media widgets, hidden user identification methods, and cryptocurrency mining code.
- One-click private browsing mode has been made available.
- An option for automatically clearing page history upon exiting the browser has been added, along with a setting for establishing a global scaling level applied to all sites.
- Performance has been improved. The new Firefox claims to be up to twice as fast as the classic Firefox for Android, achieved through compilation-stage optimizations based on code profiling results (PGO - Profile-guided optimization) and the inclusion of the IonMonkey JIT compiler for 64-bit ARM systems.
- A universal menu that provides access to settings, library (bookmarked pages, history, downloads, recently closed tabs), site display mode selection (desktop version of the site), text search on the page, private mode activation, opening a new tab, and navigation between pages.
- A multifunctional address bar featuring a universal button for quick operations such as sending links to another device and adding a site to the favorites list. Clicking on the address bar launches a full-screen hint mode, offering relevant input options based on browsing history and search engine recommendations.
- The ability to group tabs into collections, allowing you to save, organize, and share favorite sites.
After closing the browser, the remaining open tabs are automatically grouped into a collection that can then be viewed and restored. - Support for the following extensions is provided:
uBlock Origin,Dark Reader,
Privacy Badger,
NoScript,
HTTPS Everywhere,
Decentraleyes,
Search by Image,
YouTube High Definition, and
Privacy Possum.
Features from the old Firefox for Android that are not available in Fenix: about:config, page source viewing, setting a home page, compact tabs, sending a tab to another device, tab queues, recently closed tabs list, persistently showing the address bar (in Fenix, it is always auto-hidden), saving a page as PDF.
Source: opennet.ru
