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Here’s what we’re working on in Firefox

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

At Mozilla, we work hard to make Firefox the best browser for you. That’s why we're always focused on building a browser that empowers you to choose your own path, that gives you the freedom to explore without worry or compromises. We’re excited to share more about the updates and improvements we have in store for you over the next year.

Bringing You the Features You’ve Been Asking For

We've been listening to your feedback, and we're prioritizing the features you want most.

  • Productivity boosters like
    • Tab Grouping, Vertical Tabs, and our handy Sidebar will help you stay organized no matter how many tabs you have open -- whether it’s 7 or 7,500. 
    • Plus, our new Profile Management system will help keep your school, work, and personal browsing separate but easily accessible. 
  • Customizable new tab wallpapers that will let you choose from a diverse range of photography, colors, and abstract images that suits you most. 
  • Intuitive privacy settings that deliver all the power of our world-class anti-tracking technologies in a simplified, easy-to-understand way.
  • More streamlined menus that reduce visual clutter and prioritize top user actions so you can get to the important things quicker.

Continuous work on Speed, Performance, and Compatibility

Speed is everything when you’re online, so we're continuing to work hard to make Firefox as fast and efficient as possible. You can expect even faster, smoother browsing on Firefox, thanks to quicker page loads and startup times – all while saving more of your phone’s battery life. We’ve already improved responsiveness by 20 percent as measured by Speedometer 3, a collaboration we’ve spearheaded with other leading tech companies. And in that collaborative spirit, we’re also working with the Interop project to make it easy for people to build sites that work great across all browsers. We value your support in our efforts to improve cross-browser compatibility which is why we’ve added new features to easily report when websites aren’t working quite right; this feedback is critical as we look to address even small functionality issues that affect your day-to-day online experience.

Making the Most of Your Time Online -- without Sacrifice

Ensuring your privacy is core to everything we do at Firefox. Unlike other companies, who ask you to exchange your data in order to do even basic, everyday things online -- you don’t have to give up your personal information to get a faster, more efficient browser experience with Firefox. Reading a news story in a different language or signing a form for school or work shouldn't require you to give up your privacy. So, we've worked hard to make things like translation and PDF editing in Firefox happen locally on your device, so you don’t have to ship off your personal data to a server farm for a company to use it how they see fit -- to keep tabs on you, sell your information to the highest bidder, or train their AI. With Firefox, you have a lot of choice -- but you don’t have to choose between utility and privacy. Your data is secure, and most importantly, just yours.

We are approaching the use of AI in Firefox -- which many, many of you have been asking about -- in the same way. We’re focused on giving you AI features that solve tangible problems, respect your privacy, and give you real choice.

We’re looking at how we can use local, on-device AI models -- i.e., more private -- to enhance your browsing experience further. One feature we’re starting with next quarter is AI-generated alt-text for images inserted into PDFs, which makes it more accessible to visually impaired users and people with learning disabilities. The alt text is then processed on your device and saved locally instead of cloud services, ensuring that enhancements like these are done with your privacy in mind.

Join Us on This Journey

Our progress is driven by a vibrant community of users and developers like you. We encourage you to contribute to our open-source projects and to engage with us on here on Mozilla Connect or Discourse, and don't miss our upcoming AMA on Reddit, which we’ll announce soon. Your participation is crucial in shaping what Firefox becomes next.

115 REPLIES 115

librenyaa
Making moves

Surely there will be a one-click opt out for *all* of the LLM-based AI stuff... right?

While I can understand the uses, I'm quite tired of being forced into it wherever I go nowadays, I have no use for it and it continues to eat up the UI space of almost every program that I use, and taking valuable development time away from important functions of applications.

I agree,  lopsided efforts going into this rather than fixing/improving basic issues.

Kaoxt
Making moves

I was hoping the Home function on Android would get a rework! The tab management of how the home button / tab is disfunctional. On Firefox Nightly, Home button and New Tab do the same thing for Android Tablets.

DucksManiac
Making moves

It absolutely ridiculous that a user cannot add a website to an exception list.  Have you gone mad?

pierrev
Making moves

Hi Jon and all. I've been using Firefox for the past 20 years, and it is a difficult decision for me, but I've decided to change my default browser to Chrome. There is an issue with Firefox, it is simply not dealt with when web designers do design their site.  My banking website simply does not work on Firefox, in most online service who offer chat features online, the chat does not work on Firefox.  I cannot continue to lose so much productivity by sticking to Firefox. I'd like to, but it is simply not more possible.   I'll still use it from time to time, but my main use will be now on either Chrome or Edge. 

@pierrev Hi, we are actively working on identifying and fixing issues that websites encounter when loading in Firefox. Could you please file a bug in our bug tracker or on the webcompat.com site. We'll definitely look into it. Thank you!

Pierrev.  I have found that it is popup/cookie settings that might be the culprits.

for a given site, see the Settings.Privacy cookies/popup's EXCEPTIONS, then re-test.  When working in PrivateTabs mode, cookies etc will not be saved.  Sync pw's will work, but often the cookies/popups should be 1st place to try, but no guarentees, as at least I find that banks have some of the worst web engineers..

Maverick74
Making moves

Wonderful news! but...

is there a way to try the new tab groups?
a picture or video of it working?
tell us the chosen approach, at least? 😄

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

We'll share updates as soon as they're ready - be sure to follow the main thread here:

Native Tab Grouping / More Customizable Tab bar  

herrymithen
Making moves

Nice Information 👍

Someone
Making moves

Thanks for sharing the roadmap, Looking forward to seeing these implemented! Very exciting!

Though I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that one of the highest voted requests here on Mozilla connect is being completely ignored for over two years now!
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/bring-back-pwa-progressive-web-apps/idi-p/35

Overall, I love that this site exists, and that you're taking ideas from the community. The progress is actually amazing!
But somehow, one of the highest voted items fell through the cracks. I really hope you give us an update about PWAs soon.

Regardless, I love using Firefox, and think you're doing an amazing job! Keep it up!

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

Wanted to follow up and give you a quick heads up...

One of our Firefox Product Managers is actually hosting a discussion thread here on Connect about how we can best support web apps—feel free to check it out and share your feedback:

How can Firefox create the best support for web apps on the desktop? 

suikaz
Making moves

personally I'd like backspace and ctrl+shift+b to work as expected again, doing things the worse way just because chromium does it that way isn't great

also mouse gestures that actually work, either native or API that makes it possible, WebExtensions are as bad in that aspect as Chromium extensions

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

If you enjoyed this update on what we're working on in Firefox, you may be interested in checking out our Reddit AMA with the Firefox leadership team today (Thursday, June 13, 17:00 - 19:00 UTC). Bring your questions as we plan to talk about Firefox priorities in 2024.

Link the the Reddit AMA here.

Hope to see ya there!

suikaz
Making moves

well, since pointing out what extensions still need to be fixed on Quantum is apparently a crime many of us won't be able to participate

pdygulski
Making moves

HOW CAN I SIGN ON TO FIREFOX??????

moz_samri
Making moves

There are a lot of topics here.  I want to focus on  the sidebar.bookmarks and how it might integrate into the apparent dangling "Container tabs concept".

fyi: I use container tabs heavily on  my android.  The ability to group tabs, and add them an existing or new list is quite useful... (unfortunately, the process is tedious when in privateBrowsing mode).

With container tabs, one can "Share" them explicitly, yet they are not treated as bookmarkable entities, and thus are dangling !

I propose, expanding the bookmarks, to capture more meta data about the container tab groups, and actually merging them into sidebar.bookmarks.  These could be another Stack Element type (simplest implementation) -or- broaden the meta data, to allow them to be first class citizens of bookmarks.

The stacks concepts, are just differing meta data, and could be integrated into very powerful, yet simplistic(to end user) bookmarks.

To look more forward, the SYNC.sharing, might choose to deal differently w Stack types.  However, since SYNC is per account, it is really not intended to be shared with others, so some import Export, to a universal sharable format (excluding secrets...) would be needed/desired.

I earlier thread mentioned that meta data, for bookmarks could help in setting preferred tab colors/background...  One must be careful though, as many conflict couldcome about.   One such conflict would be  containerTabGroups(colors+Icons) when integrated into a bookmarks.w.enhanced metadata scheme.

Just my 2cents, when thinking about a more unified approach to various Concepts, vrs existing entities & the overall  work/benefit analysis

Dasein
Making moves

I just want to see PWA's (Web Apps) & JPEG-XL implementation which have received around the same level of support as the rest of the features but have been left out it seems 😕

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

One of our Product Managers is currently hosting a discussion thread here on Connect on how we can best support web apps—please feel free to join and share your input:

How can Firefox create the best support for web apps on the desktop? 

Agentvirtuel
Contributor

Hello

For information purposes, weather info
Take a look at https://www.camp-firefox.de/artikel/890-mozilla-veröffentlich-firefox-128/#049384f6-sonstige-endnutz...

Clarification : To avoid displaying my actual geolocation, i use a vpn
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z1MpKHlnykU

fzr227
Making moves

I'm very glad to hear that you are working on tab groups and a new profile management system. But is there also a possibility to bring the "normal" Firefox engine to iOS in Europe? Since the digital markets act it would be technical possible.

I would like to use the normal Firefox with all of its extensions on iOS, too. Currently I have to use Safari, if I want to use adblockers. But Safari kinda sucks...

em843
Making moves

Will we be able to sync profiles across devices? This is the only thing keeping me from switching to Firefox--I want to be able to bring up my personal profile while at work for personal tasks and vice-versa.

omlip
Making moves

Hi

So finally, when can we expect something in our beloved browser ?

Is there any place we can follow the current work ?

thanks

Best regards

Olivier

 

AshleyT
Employee
Employee

Hi everyone! I just posted some details and early design concepts for the Intuitive privacy settings project mentioned in this post. It's part of a larger project we're working on to redesign Firefox Settings to modernize and improve discoverability. Check it out and please share your thoughts!

Erwan
Making moves
  • Customizable new tab wallpapers that will let you choose from a diverse range of photography, colors, and abstract images that suits you most. 
    • of no interest to me, but surely of interest to others.

 

  • Intuitive privacy settings that deliver all the power of our world-class anti-tracking technologies in a simplified, easy-to-understand way.
    • Very good

 

  • More streamlined menus that reduce visual clutter and prioritize top user actions so you can get to the important things quicker.
    • Now that scares me!
      I'd rather read: maximum customization so that everyone can have the Firefox they've always dreamed of.
      Too often, under the pretext of modernization, essential and useful functionalities are removed, even if only for some users.
      Case in point:
      - compact mode abandoned
      - extension shortcuts imposed against our will
      ...

      I don't want Mozilla to impose a format on me, I want them to let me choose!

 

I agee w all 3points made, ESPECIALLY the last one !

igorlogius
Making moves

Will the new functions of the tab grouping be usable by addons?   (extend to the existing webextension api?)

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

Let me pass this along to the team. I know it's on their radar, but maybe they can address this when sharing an update in the tab groups idea thread here:

Native Tab Grouping / More Customizable Tab bar 

That is much appreciated. Thank you!

ThePillenwerfer
Familiar face

The only thing I'd wish to change about Tabs would be being able to right-click and "Close Other Tabs" without the intermediate "Close Multiple Tabs" step.  A keyboard shortcut to do it would be even better.

An overhaul of the menus is certainly something I'd agree is needed but the use of the word "Streamlined" is alarming as does this mean "We are going to hide things even deeper and in weirder places than they are now."

The other things are irrelevant to me providing they don't get in the way.

ThineCyberCat
Making moves

This is why I love firefox

natff
Making moves

Hello Jon -

 

I'm writing here because I can't find any other way to get in touch directly. Nor can I find what I'm looking for under settings. A new function has just appeared where, if one hovers over an open tab, a drop-doen box appears. Frankly I find it distracting and not really much use for anything. Can it be disabled?

Thanks.

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hey @natff, the thread for that feature is here:

More tab detail (eg preview/URL) when hovering over a tab 

But let me reach out to the team and get more info on how to disable it.  

Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

@natff it is an option in the Tabs section for settings:

Screenshot 2024-09-30 at 12.02.20 (1).png

Agentvirtuel
Contributor

Hello

Uncheck the box, Show an image preview when you hover on a tab, yes, but it's not stopped completely

In addition https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/tab-previews-are-annoying/m-p/71271 for information purposes