For the market segment that prefers Firefox over Chrome, the default Android device experience is now better. Firefox maker Mozilla today announced more than 450 new add-ons, also known as browser extensions, available on the Mozilla Firefox browser add-ons page. These extensions enable privacy anti-tracking tools, content blocking, productivity tools, or other features that provide new experiences such as music streaming or allow users to customize their mobile browser to their needs. UI, such as switching all web pages to dark mode or providing a better way to manage tabs.
Due to a lack of add-ons, Firefox for Android users replaced the previous app's codebase with GeckoView, which was faster and more adaptable, upon its release in 2020. At that time, the company said it had decided to limit supported extensions to only those in "Recommended Extensions" program, meaning extensions commonly installed by end users. This choice allows Mozilla to get this new browser into the hands of users quickly, but also limits the long-term development of extensions and opportunities for software developers to focus on this market.
While the nightly version of Firefox allows more add-ons, the Firefox browser officially available for Android doesn't have access to hundreds of these add-ons, meaning most Firefox users don't have them either.
In August this year, Mozilla said it had finally completed the infrastructure needed to return the open add-on ecosystem to Firefox for Android. Since then they've started testing and releasing hundreds of Firefox add-ons for Android users, with over 450 add-ons reported in today's news.
The company said that half of Firefox desktop users have installed add-ons to customize their experience, demonstrating the importance of an open ecosystem.
Many recommended Android browser extensions have user counts of six figures or more, but the apps themselves only occupy a small portion of the mobile browser market, due to the growth of the default browsers, Chrome and Safari. Android and iOS respectively. According to Stat Counter data, on mobile devices, Firefox will have a market share of 0.5% in November 2023. In contrast, Chrome has a market share of 64.23%. In mobile browser competition, Safari, Samsung Browser, Opera and others outperform Firefox.
However, the app has a small but loyal following, including those looking for alternatives outside the Big Tech Giants. One of its main selling points is automatic tracking blocking, which appeals to privacy-conscious people. According to Google Play Store data, Firefox for Android has reached more than 100 million installs so far.
“The scope of innovation is enormous,” said Giorgio Natelli, Firefox's director of engineering, in an announcement about the add-on's launch. “It's great to see add-on developers taking advantage of this opportunity and creating new browsing experiences and features for Firefox for Android users. People no longer need to strictly monopolize cellular networks. With add-ons, you're free to change the look and feel of Firefox for Android. “The more developers who create these exciting new spaces, the better,” he added.
