The Firefox app for Android will soon support third-party plugins again, as developer Mozilla reverses an earlier decision.
In 2020, the company launched an overhauled Firefox for Android phones, improving security and making the user interface easier to use. That was one of the casualties of the redesign browser extension support was drastically reduced. Soon though Mozilla’s Firefox mobile app on Android has the necessary infrastructure for extensions. So you can have your favorite desktop add-ons with you on the go.
In addition, this will be an “open extension ecosystem” where any skilled developer can come in and create something for the app. In the future, “Firefox will become the only major Android browser to support,” claims Mozilla, such a creative environment. Humans can essentially come in and create whatever they want. This could give the mobile app an edge over rivals like Google Chrome, which doesn’t allow any kind of third-party add-ons.
Future update
Before you run off and install the browser, keep in mind that the patch isn’t out yet. This is still in progress. Mozilla says it will provide a “final launch date” for its open ecosystem sometime in “early September.” The company does guarantee that everything will be released by the end of the year. In the meantime, Mozilla offers help and resources to developers interested in creating plugins for its app.
It is unknown if this patch will ever make it to Firefox on iOS. As stated on a Mozilla support page, Apple has its own extension system for iPhone which is “not compatible with Firefox add-ons”. We asked the developer if there are any plans to extend this patch to iOS devices if possible. This story will be updated if we hear anything.
It will be very interesting to see what comes out. According to android policethere are 22 plugins officially available for Firefox on Android, including TechRadar’s pick of the best ad blocker: uBlock origin. There are a few more we’d like to see. For example, there is striped to help manage browser tabs plus Improver for YouTube. The latter introduces many cool tools to YouTube, such as the ability to configure shortcuts.
While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated list of the best web browsers for 2023.