Mozilla is reportedly rolling out an update for Firefox, with enough features to match the massive leap to version 79 on Android. This version, as noted by TechDows, has been in development in beta for some time. And the previous version was v68. So this new browser will contain a much larger number of changes than previous updates.
Among the biggest changes is the new Settings feature that allows users to place the toolbar at either the top or the bottom. The latter position places the bar directly under the users’ thumbs. And tabs are being reworked as well with this update. Namely, tabs can now be organized into ‘collections’ at the tap of a button in the tab switcher UI.
Collections can be renamed for better organization too, helping users keep track when they’ve got more than a few opened up.
Looking past those changes, users can perform voice searches from the address bar. And they’ll be notified in that same segment of the UI with a dedicated icon when Reader mode is available for a page. Mozilla’s changelog also points to better support for more add-ons, and login sorting. Logins can now be sorted by either name or ‘last-used’ date.
Finally, Mozilla is flipping the switch on ‘Enhanced Tracking Protection’, with the setting now set to Strict by default.
This update does contain some drawbacks too, at least for now
Now, these new features in the Firefox version 79 update will undoubtedly help Mozilla secure its position among the top Android browsers available. But there are also a few caveats to be aware of. Firefox 68 supported thousands of extensions and that’s not the case with version 79, just for starters. Instead, fewer than ten are available.
The list includes some heavy-hitters such as Dark Reader, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badget, Search by Image, and Privacy Possum. YouTube High Definition, HTTPS Everywhere, NoScript Security Suite, and Decentraleyes are also available. Regardless, that’s a serious step-down, even if more add-ons are supported straight away.
Mozilla will almost certainly enable more support over time as more developers shift their code to suit Firefox 79. But that’s just not going to be the case, at least out-of-the-gate, for Android users.
Where is the Firefox 79 update already available?
The second major caveat is availability. Although Mozilla is rolling this out now, it isn’t available to a wide number of users. In fact, the Fenix-based browser isn’t even available in the US yet. As confirmed by the source, the reworked app is only available in six regions to start. Those are listed as SA, UA, NZ, BG, NO, and PH regions.