Please restore side-scrolling shortcuts on new tab page in Firefox for Android

[JNavas]

The title pretty much says it all.

Up through Firefox Android 143 Shortcuts on the new tab page could be quickly side-scrolled, but that appears to be removed in 144, which I find significantly more clumsy.

Please restore the prior behavior, at least as an option. Thank you.

[AcrossFromItaly]

I also wrote a post on the same subject at around the same time as yours. I absolutely agree with you

[JNavas]

It wasn't broke before, but it is now that Firefox 144 has rolled out.
Does Mozilla not understand that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?"
Hello, Mozilla! Please, please bring it back (at least as an option).

I abandoned Firefox a few years ago when Mozilla screwed up the Android UI.
I came back when Android Firefox supported extensions because I could write extensions to resolve UI issues.
But I can't fix this with an extension, and it's a big enough deal that I may abandon Firefox again.
SIc transit gloria mundi.

[BelFox]

I like the recent UI changes in Firefox for Android, but this is a step backwards. 

See also https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/shortcuts-not-scrolling-in-firefox-version-144/m-p/107984.

[f0ckerstalker22]

tab

[Hena-Ortang]

Hey @JNavas,

Yeah, I have noticed the same thing too. I’m a web developer working in Italy, and that side-scrolling shortcut feature was super handy. It made it quick to move between saved links, and I really miss it since the 144 update.

Now it feels a bit clunky - extra taps just to get where you want. I would be great if Firefox could bring back the old scroll behaviour or at least give us an option to enable it again. It was such a small thing, but it made a big difference.

Best Regards

Hena Ortang, Italy

[SheikhAzharuddi]

Guys why scroll or click show more, why cant I view more than 8 shortcuts , why restrict our ability...in iceraven one can pin unlimited number of shortcuts..firefox also had this long back ago but they decided to restrict for some mysterious reason! I have recently posted an idea for this , probably it will be visible after sometime..please support 

[JNavas]

@SheikhAzharuddi 
You can pin more than 8 shortcuts.
The issue is that to view more than 8 you now have to touch Show all and deal with an entirely new screen instead of just side-scrolling. 

[SheikhAzharuddi]

But I want to see more than 8 in a single view like iceraven browser..my entire screen is free as I have disabled bookmarks, recently visited etc..

[JNavas]

As I wrote, to see more than 8 you have to touch Show All.

Please don't hijack this issue, which is about the prior side-scrolling behavior, not a redesign of the New Tab screen. Thank you.

[Merci-chao]

Absolutely agree.
The "Show All" button requires a more precise operation to tap, compared to the previous design where I could simply tap anywhere within a large area and slide.
In addition, I'm very confused why there's no option to display 16 or all shortcuts by default. I only use shortcuts on the home page, and half of it is empty. I always have to click "Show All" just to access the 9th shortcut for no apparent reason.

[BelFox]

Dear @Jon,
Would you be so kind to forward this to the Android/mobile team? It would be nice to have a team member (UI designer) explain the rationale for removing this very useful feature. Maybe there is a good reason, but for many people here on Connect and Reddit, it feels like a big regression. It is not too late to roll back this change, I hope.

Thanks in advance! Firefox rocks.

[RCDV]

+1

I don't get why this was removed?

[massmanjr]

Chiming in here as well.  The swipe to scroll option was much better and provided quicker navigation.  Please restore this. 

[Emperor_MegaMan]

I do not understand what benefit is there to remove it in the first place. There are many better changes to implement in Firefox to not have to bother changing something that was working no problem. 

[onward-skies]

Agreed!

It's harder to click show all than it was to swipe!

At least let us drag to rearrange the order it's so clumsy trying organize this space! 

[faelnor]

Kudos because this is a clear regression, but I think the entire concept of shortcuts is an ill-suited design to what should be a fairly standard use case and Mozilla should rethink this entire part of the UI.

When I manually open the Firefox mobile app, I either want to:

1. do a search (possible in the address bar),
2. take over a synced tab from Firefox Desktop (possible with "Jump back in"),
3. or navigate to one of the possibly many websites that I normally consult on my mobile device, e.g. social and banking services, social networks, webcomics, stuff that I tend to do less and less on desktop, if at all.

I don't care whether those links are bookmarks or shortcuts, but they should be:

• mobile-specific,
• backed up and synced,
• displayed on the new tab page,
• reorderable,
• listed in an efficient way that minimizes wasted space.

Today we have bookmarks that take a lot of space and need to be scrolled horizontally (horrible waste of space) or browsed as a separate tree, we have shortcuts (not synced, better use of space but still extremely limited, cannot be reordered) and we have "Add to Home screen" (not synced, relies on the OS, requires leaving the browser). Frankly, all of these solutions kind of suck.

My suggestion would be to remove shortcuts altogether and unify the approach into proper synced, mobile-only bookmarks that can be set to take the entire space of the new tab page in a dynamic reorderable grid.

If you wanted to be really fancy you could reuse the same visual paradigms as the OS itself (when navigating apps) like so:

And as icing on the cake, this list of bookmarks could be made into an Android home screen widget.

[JNavas]

I feel your pain, but I don't share your proposed solution (which does not belong in this Issue—start your own Issue):

1. Bookmarks don't need to take up space. Customize homepage to turn them off.
2. Shortcuts can be reordered—re-pin them in the order you want.
3. Shortcuts aren't synced because they are device-specific, not a general organizing tool.
4. Which is better is a matter of personal preference—you prefer just bookmarks on the new tab screen, I prefer just shortcuts, others may prefer both.

[faelnor]

Sorry dude this is a discussion forum, not a bug report, I'm allowed to vent out my frustrations.

You misunderstood me and my proposal, but that's ok.

[JNavas]

No, it's not a discussion forum, it's a single Issue, and you are not allowed to disrupt the Issue. First and last warning.

p.s. My name isn't "dude."

[faelnor]

I'm not sure what community guideline I'm breaking by offering a directly related sub-thread in a feedback post in the community Discussions board. If I do, please remove, if you have the power to do so, but I think your tone and warnings are uncalled for.

[BelFox]

I welcome your proposal as it is related and belongs in a discussion thread!

That being said, today "bookmarks" and "shortcuts" are different things both on desktop and mobile. They serve a slightly different use case. 

If I'm not mistaken, the Bookmarks section on the mobile start page shows recently added bookmarks and was never intended to show all of them (there is a menu for that). That's why they are allowed to take up so much space. 

The main question here is why the Firefox team decided to hide shortcuts behind a link. Being able to swipe through shortcuts was a perfectly fine, user-friendly and space-saving solution. Still waiting for the team to join the discussion. 

[onward-skies]

You hit the nail on the head! Excellent mock-up!

I just want links on my home page that are easy to click and reorganize!

Makes so much sense to just revamp the bookmarks like you propose, than the horrible way they are nested currently! 

[Ghost_]

How to restore side-scrolling shortcuts on new tab page in Firefox for Android?

What is the about:config to get this feature back?  I no longer use Firefox because the shortcuts GUI is so ugly now with white "tacks" that stand out more than shortcuts favicons themselves on a dark background.  But I would love to get scrolling shortcuts back on my favorite Firefox FORK.  about:config?