Private Tabs IoS (No longer Automatically Stay Open since new Update 127.0)

[Supreme_Star]

Private tabs Newest Update 127.0 Causes Private Tabs To No longer open automatically and it just defaults to standard tab.

Every time I try to open a private tab it closes the tab when the app is closed which is a very annoying issue and it always opens using the standard default tab which is quite annoying now I would like to know when this will be solved I understand that their will be an option to bring back the windowsseperationenabled config for browsers on windows but what about the issues for Mobile as well for Ios & Android will that solution also fix Mobile.

I also don’t have the option to keep private tabs open in the general settings for fire fox within the app which I’m not sure if this option was disabled or removed before but I question how to solve a response on how to fix this or an ETA upon next update for this bug would be appreciated cause this new update is not an improvement if my private tabs no longer stay open when I close the entire app is not cool and preferable.

I’ve already tried all the basic fixes and nothing works this new update broke more user experience for me and a lot of other Mobile users why can you not have the option to keep Private Tabs open when you fully exit the FireFox app that is just ridiculous I apologize if this is just rambling but I question how this is supposed to improve user experience if basic tab customization options are lacking if cannot keep Private Tabs from closing when you exit the app

 

[Sunshine11]

Same issue. Private tabs used to persist and after the latest update they are all automatically deleted after I close the app on iPhone. The whole reason I use Firefox mobile is for it’s private browsing experience.

[Flamefaux]

The persistence of private tabs between sessions in the iOS app is the reason I use Firefox on a regular basis. I need to interact with sites both authenticated and unauthenticated for work and it’s beyond aggravating to have the tabs disappear if I set my phone down for two minutes.

Please replace the option for leaving open private tabs.

[Likeasummerrain]

I absolutely need this feature restored. Phone apps close constantly and if they aren’t the same when I return they are useless to me. I just lost 30+ tabs that were reminders of things I needed to do, videos I wanted to watch, articles I wanted to read, and lots of pages I access every day. I have no idea what most of them were and I’m just praying none of them were important at the moment. 

[ltd]

This feature regression has been hugely disruptive to me, and has largely made firefox useless to me on my phone. I can’t imagine why this functionality was stripped out, but I hope it’s restored soon. After it is, I will be switching auto update off for firefox.

[dausenak]

I concur. Hugely disruptive and useless on my iPhone and iPad, not to mention the loss of all the tabs with stuff I was supposed to keep reading, researching, etc., …

The worst is that it happens every X-th update, it’s not the first time. 

So, what I don’t understand is this:

1. If it’s not designed to work like that, why does Mozilla not test for it before releasing an update, considering how disruptive it is for a large percentage of users, and considering it keeps happening?

2. if it was suddenly designed to work like that - the change is so immense and so disruptive, it should be announced WAY in advance to users, right IN THE BROWSER, also, I’d actually consider emailing users users that have accounts with an update, also WAY before the change. Give us also space for feedback, IN ADVANCE.

3. Give us (back) the option to have the private tabs close or keep open after closing the app.  Simple as that. 

i actually DO NOT WANT to use a different browser (actually, I use both Firefox Focus and Firefox, and I love using them both). Just don’t pull moves like this one anymore, please. 

Personally, I lost about a week of work in private tabs I lost on my iPad, and about an additional day with the ones I lost on my iPhone. It’s a lot. (I have my reasons for not wanting to sync).

Pls, fix that. 

[ooounohu]

I have the same practice. I use Private tabs for mobile browsing and leave those tabs open as reminders for my interests. Whether this new behavior in 127.0 for iOS is a bug or intentional, I'm advocating for returning to the previous and expected behavior.

I do see the online help document describing how to enable the setting is no longer maintained. Here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/automatically-close-private-tabs-when-leaving-priv

Additionally, the interface in the app to enable the setting is no longer present. This make me suspect the feature has been removed.

[dausenak]

Forgot to say - the new update didn’t just wipe all the private tabs that were opened - it also wiped the ones in the regular / non-private view. 

If removing the option to keep the private tabs open after closing the app was “intentional”, why wiping also all the other open tabs? Not tested properly before release?

(the newly opened tabs in the regular view open again when I re-open the app, nonetheless, it wiped everything else that was open before the update)

[dausenak]

Despite reading about speculations that the new upgrade works as designed, I don’t think wiping the tabs was intended behaviour, because a change like that would be surely mentioned in the update’s description in the app store. Wouldn’t it?

[Jona_jo0727]

Several updates ago it did the same to me, deleted every tab I had. It didn't this time but I do not trust this app to not screw me over again 

[Mapster127]

This is really frustrating and is now stopping me using Firefox on a daily basis for my key activities. iOS ipad 17.5.1 is closing all open private tabs overnight - browser is not closed, just not in focus. All my open tracking tabs (live data feeds) are lost as are the multiple review / research tabs I have open at any time. It is impractical to write each open tab down when following through a chain of links, so now I need to switch browsers I guess. This isn’t the first time Firefox has had browser tab issues (see last Aug and Oct for example) so what’s going on and what is Mozilla doing to prevent a reoccurrence?

[Jona_jo0727]

I lost 40+ tabs just by updating the app. This has actually happened before, where I updated my app and all of a sudden every single tab I had open (private and otherwise) was just completely obliterated from my phone. I am incredibly irritated. Everyone boasts about firefox being the best browser but between this God awful occurrence and the fact it crashes constantly on my pc, it's looking like it's an awful browser to me 

[A_Simple_It]

Recently updated to version 127.0 on IOS app store, to my shock, all my tabs in private browsing were lost when reopening the Firefox app. After doing some digging, I found that the previous setting to keep private tabs after closing the application, across all interfaces has been completely removed,
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/automatically-close-private-tabs-when-leaving-priv
I would like this feature/setting implemented back, because there was no notes on this on the update log for version 127.0 on IOS or anywhere else.

[ooounohu]

I did Kudo this. I think the lack of remembering Private tabs needs more exposure. I rely on Private tabs for all of my mobile browsing. I had 90+ tabs that I needed to review, most of which I could do without but similar to the OP I was surprised to see they were all gone after upgrading to 127.0.

[ooounohu]

Indeed there is another post from 6-13 reporting the same behavior.
Here: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/private-tabs-ios-no-longer-automatically-stay-open-since-...

[Mapster127]

So at least 10 days into this problem and where is the response from Mozilla? Not fixing it is a non-starter for my use of Firefox, but I can understand it might take a moment to get the fix into the release schedule. What I find much less acceptable is no announcement of this change if it was deliberate and no recognition of the problem and announcement of fix schedule if it was in error. Where is the communication Mozilla?

[Mapster127]

I dug around some more and found discussion on Reddit that led me to GitHub were the following discussion seems to suggest some at Mozilla think this was intentional and others are preparing a fix. Still no evidence of any real communication to the user base as to what, if any, resolution is planned. 
https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/20073? 

[Alwin]

Thanks, mozzilla. You’re micro**bleep** now, no longer giving people options, just removing them. 
congratulations on becoming what you, fifteen years ago, swore never to.

[proserpinapom]

The fact that we’re a month in, now on 128.3 and this issue STILL hasn’t been fixed (or even addressed, as far as I can tell) is wild. Mozilla completely ruined the functionality of private browsing. I can’t even be bothered to use it any more. If anyone has recommendations for better browsers, please send them my way. I switched to Firefox so I didn’t have to deal with Google’s BS, and yet here we are. 

[Mapster127]

If Mozilla wants an active community and to keep community support it needs to answer the issue raised both here and in GitHub not sit in radio silence and hope we all suck it up. Switched to Safari for anything important since the Mozilla team seemingly don’t consider our opinions important. 

[ooounohu]

It’s back in 129.0. Tested; it works!

 

 

[andyf]

Hi! In response to your feedback, we have reintroduced the option to persist tabs in Firefox iOS. It is already available in our last version (FX 129). In order to persist private tabs, download the new update (FX 129), navigate to settings and disable the default setting "Close Private Tabs when Leaving Private Browsing". We appreciate your patience and your continue support to Firefox. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thanks!

[pushcx]

I'm really glad to hear the previous behavior is being restored.

You asked for questions: is there any information available on how the decision was made, how it was reversed, or anything else to help users set expectations around similar changes? Thanks.

[Mapster127]

I have to say thank you for fixing this. I’m glad to see a fundamental setting change now supporting an off switch at a minimum. At least I can reconsider using Firefox going forward. 

I still think Mozilla owes us some explanation of both the change and the subsequent lack of acknowledgement of the resulting problem or other communication.