Back in the early days of the web, a web browser was an important part of the operating system, and given how hard Microsoft went after this market with their relentless approach surrounding Internet Explorer, it was clear that there was a lot of money to be made on the Web. Nowadays, it’s Google Chrome that is most-used web browser all over the world, regardless of which platform, but for a long time it was Mozilla’s Firefox that offered users some sort of salvation from Internet Explorer. In this Chrome-dominated world, however, Mozilla is struggling to stay relevant. The Firefox browser is available on Android, and it works well, but now Mozilla is turning to another part of the market; privacy.
With new surveillance laws being passed across the pond and concerns over a Trump Presidency here, there’s a lot of reasons why someone might feel that they need to hide their activity online. For many, a simple use of the Incognito Mode in Chrome or Private Browsing will suffice, but recently there’s been an explosion in single-use browsers on all platforms that aim to leave little to no trace at all. Mozilla is looking to offer their own with the new Firefox Focus browser, and they’re doing so on iOS first, for whatever reason. Firefox Focus is designed to be a super-fast web browser that will allow users to get what they need in a speedy manner without leaving any data on your device. Mozilla say that Firefox Focus is for those that “sometimes just want a super simple, super fast web experience – no tabs, no menus, no pop-ups. Firefox Focus gives you just that”.
Firefox Focus is available on the iPhone right now, and uses Yahoo for search – with no way of changing this to Google or whatever else – and while it’s becoming clear that iOS is becoming a platform for those that wish to block ads and leave no trace, it’s likely that Firefox Focus will make the jump to Android before long, and with good reason. In the Play Store there are countless different browsers that do exactly the sort of thing that Firefox Focus is describing, and if Mozilla want to stay relevant on Android, then getting it on to Android sooner, rather than later, would be a very good idea.