After what feels like a century, Firefox for Android users can finally stop mourning the loss of third-party add-ons. Following the 2020 revamp that was supposed to make everything sleek and secure, users were left with a meager handful of extensions. Nowas promised, proper extension support has finally arrived on Firefox on Android, allowing users to customize their browsing experience and bid farewell to some of the web’s most irritating quirks.
Mozilla initially said in August of this year that it was finally bringing its open extension platform to Firefox for Android.After some testing and tinkering, the organization has now made more than 450 extensions up for grabs. You’re welcome.
There’s a smorgasbord of options for almost everyone at the moment,saysMozilla. The organization has promised even more extensions in the coming months, and as the user base widens, it’s expecting developers to step up their game.
To drive the point home, Firefox for Android is only getting on the desktop extensions bandwagon instead of Mozilla reinventing the wheel here—these are the same extensions you’re able to install on the desktop version. Firefox Nightly has been offering third-party extension support since 2020 with its “Collections” feature. But for stable Firefox, Mozilla only selects mobile-friendly extensions in its Recommended program so you can download and enjoy them hassle-free.
Extension support is one of the highly anticipated additions to Firefox on Android. This nifty addition not only sets Firefox apart from the crowd but also promises to level up your browsing game. Mozilla has rolled out adedicated Android extensions pagewhere you can easily pick and choose your favorites to amp up your Firefox experience.
WhileGoogle Chromeis one of theleading web browserson mobile devices, it doesn’t support third-party extensions on mobile devices, mainly due to ad-blocking plug-ins, making lesser-known platforms like Lemur Browser and Kiwi Browser your go-to browsers for downloading them. While Samsung’sInternet Browserdecided to play the game too, its extension support is on a diet. Still, if you’re tired of the mainstream snub, these underdogs have your back.
And, while Mozilla touts Firefox as a major Android browser, Chrome commands the lion’s share of the market. According toStatcounter, Chrome accounted for almost 65% of the global mobile browsing market in November 2023. Meanwhile, Firefox had a minuscule 0.51% market share.
