Firefox, please, stop automatic updates

[nikolay]

How can I complain to the proper people about Firefox?
Firefox should have at least setting to stop automatic updates. I lost my order I was about to pay as in the new window which was opened Firefox wanted a restart. I had to do everything from the beginning. I do not like to use google products but I am about to switch to Chrome because this Firefox becomes real crap these days. Some things do not work in Firefox and I have to use Chrome from time to time just to be able to make a call in teams web and something similar. This was bearable till now. I am using Firefox since it was announced. But using Firefox starts to be annoying. Sorry but even to put my opinion here took me 1 hour to set up accounts in 2 places.

[jscher2000 · Accepted solution]

If you are running Windows, you can use the Settings page to set Firefox to alert you when updates are available but wait to install them until you're ready. In the tiny search box on the Settings page, type updat to bring that section into view.

I don't know whether it works on Mac. On Linux, your package manager may override this internal setting.

[nikolay]

Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry I forgot to mention I am using Ubuntu. I will try to disable automatic updates in package manager (I though I disabled this already) as in Firefox automatic updates are disabled for sure.
Again, thanks for the reply !

[Anonymous]

So but the old post solution does no longer work

I DO NOT WANT any updates as they constant screw up things and worsed of all the latest complete disaster which made me so angry i uninstalled firefox instant

What pisses me off even more is that currently they are fixing old versions TO FORCE you to update

It worked till last month to make a file to stop updates but guess what they mae it so no matter what old version you want to run your constant bugged to update .... which i do not want nor need

Their is absolute no reason to update security has nothing todo with it either as my pc is well protected.

A month ago i could download the non force upgrade versions but they totally "repaired them all"

This made me even start seeking an better solution but all of the browser seem to force you to new interfaces i do not need nor will ever want to use.

The latest versions of firefox are hell to use, i hate the whole shabam the crazy and idiot interface where i can not find anything i want or need ..... I hate it and do not want it

So stop screwing people over with this worthless new versions which does nothing to make a browser better or handy

I want the trusty old firefox versions under the 100 the rest i do not want nor need

All the given tricks to stop firefox and thunderbird to upgrade at all are being removed with all the newly made old files where they keep forcing updates

I hate it and do not want it not now not ever

Worsed of all is that all browsers come with a insane interface which really has nothing todo with a browser, i do not know why all the insanity i do not need nor want is added into all browsers 

It is like a virus spreading this complete stupidity

I want a clean small browser not a monster filled with absolute nonsense

[Anonymous]

Nope no longer works either it constant is bugging me to update which i do not want

AND NO THERE ARE NO SECURITY RISKS not now not ever

[Anonymous]

There should be a setting native to Firefox on Linux as well as on Windows to delay updates to a more convenient time.  Not only has the previous work-around (not, mind you, a proper fix, which is a problem) apparently been circumvented, but simple design and user considerations dictate that this should be controlled from within Firefox and not externally.  It is especially frustrating when the functionality is available on some operating systems and not on others.

[paxx]

Yes, but how many hundreds alerts can you have? I have DAILY update notifications. No browser should need to update daily when I've already done an update. This seriously have to be turned off.

[coldwinter]

I, for one, have the setting made to prevent automatic updates, and this does work. However, I do still get notifications that updates are available, and this often occurs several times during the day. I must agree that accepting every offered update seems to be the course of madness, and I do not do it. In fact, as I refuse the updates as a matter of course, it is usually only by accident when I do get a Firefox update. What would be far less intrusive would be to have a setting that tells Firefox how often to notify us. Personally, I would choose once every few months and plan it to happen, if I choose to accept it, after I have a good restore point. If there is a real security update, then a single notice of that could be allowed as an extra event, but if that update request is denied, then the setting to only notify on a schedule should be honored. I suspect that the programmers are using some sort of a streaming code, build and deploy method. These constant updates may seem great from a programming perspective, but they are a PITA for those using the software. I realize programmers like to see their code deployed, but very few programmers, I am speaking of especially of interface programmers here, are as wise as they think they are. They all eventually fall into the trap of believing they have "better" ideas for the interface and cannot resist moving the rest of us into their "better" world. For everyone of those programmers, I long for the day when their car interfaces are found in the software. Then they can regularly experience what it is like to have the steering here one day and over there another, with brakes and accelerator and turn signals and all of it suffering the same fate. Were this to happen enough, perhaps the experience would enlighten them as to what the users experience with the software they maintain.

[TiggerNowhere]

Setting an option to alert is stupid when you consider the alert blocks access to web pages until the message is cleared every few minutes minutes. I timed it - it is just minutes. The alert stopped me twice just writing this paragraph. This is not feature. It is malicious software. Mozilla once told me to keep my version updated and I would only need to update once a month to keep from being blocked with alerts. I call BS. Updates are at least every few days and often within hours of of the last update. The madness needs to stop. I'm seriously considering Edge. While I am still forced to update, at least it doesn't stop my from using my computer telling me to update every few minutes.

[hmn33]

I do not need all these updates. At times the updates have screwed up my computer.

I am an 80 year old Internet lover, and send hours and hours searching, reading, learning, joining, etc. And do not have any problems. Except getting updates gets sooooo annoying that I want to scream. No matter how many times I put off the installment, it persists. There has to be a way to not accept updates, unless I want them. If it doesn't change, I am going to another browser...........grrrr!!!

[G_shogie]

I JUST updated to 113.0.1 last night and was reading the release notes. When I did 'Help/About' to check the version, it started downloading ANOTHER update WITHOUT asking me! This interferes with using my net connection - and there was no way to STOP IT!

[asonbfqaweèohtg]

Main reason to drop firefox, IMHO.

It's annoying and 90% of the times the update is reason for new bugs, problems, hangs, etc.Newer versions are not stables, most of the times.

With version 100+ (2023 if I'm not wrong) I've started to become mad in many aspects, from customization to weird behaviours in daily tasks. And i'm quite good if we talk about software, both MacOS or Win.

For the first time in 20 years I'm starting to drop Firefox and Thunderbird. 20 years....

Devs, read the sentence above again.

ps. logged in as firefox user and can't write or read anything until I complete my profile. WTF!

The concept of UX is unknown to Mozilla devs.

[kbdm]

THE UPDATES DON'T MAKE THIS BROWSER ANY BETTER! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRONG WITH EACH PREVIOUS VERSION THAT IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED? NOBODY BUYS A NEW CAR AND THEN AFTER A WEEK, BUYS NEW TIRES AND BUYS NEW TIRES EVERY WEEK. I can browse for about 3 hours and have to empty the cache cause it has 1.2 gb of data. I can browse again for 30 minutes and between firefox and google I have to empty it again. That makes no sense. Way back when I had Windows XP and ran IE, they would empty the cache at what I set it to and never any ridiculous updates. Don't get me wrong, Windows came out with Edge and it's worse than Firefox. Why fix what's not broke? Firefox breaks it and then makes an attempt to fix it. Between Firefox and Adobe, I'm gonna lose my mine. I'm done venting. Enjoy your day.

[Skaarj]

The thing is simple. Any software should respect its own configuration. In Firefox (about:config) there are some settings about app.update.* but apparently Firefox ignore them and checking against new versions over and over.

Where is Firefox we loved years ago(?)

[TechPioneer]

You may wish to follow the method proposed by albatross_rising:
How to disable automatic check for update.

The method did a real magic on my end: no more annoying reminders to make an update.

[openreels]

I, too, cannot stand the constant notices to update, for the same reasons.  Plus, I believe browser updates are the cause of some websites saying they "don't recognize" the computer/OS/browser version, thus having to re-authenticate a login when, in fact, nothing has changed (except the browser).

Unfortunately, I tried the method described above (was actually able to change the setting directly within about:config) but it did not work.  The variable "app.update.channel" now says default, but the update reminders continue! It does make me wonder, however, if any of the other "update" variables would help.