Thoughts on the new Android UI

[hs1336]

When the new UI dropped on Firefox for Android in testing, I wasn't a big fan. Nothing was where I expected, things were harder to reach, and overall functionality and productivity plummeted. The devs on Reddit suggested just giving it some time to get used to it, so I did. And you know what?

It's still awful to use.

For context, I have the address bar at the top and use the list view tab switcher. Previously, tapping the three dots at the top right corner would bring up the menu along the right side, where my thumb already was, with the most useful options near the top (again, closest to my thumb). With the new UI, the menu slides up from the bottom, and some of my frequently used items aren't present without opening submenus (Find in page, for example). This means I need to reposition my hand everytime I open the menu, and often search for the menu items I want in new places.

In addition, the menu is now the full width of the screen, so it takes up more space while giving fewer options. The layout of the menu is also completely nonsensical. It's irrational to have a horizontal row of buttons, then a vertical list, then another horizontal row, then another list. It makes it inherently hard to parse the information on the screen. It used to be a single vertical list, which is much easier to read. 

Regarding the tab switcher, there's not a huge difference in the list view aside from just feeling clunkier, like there's more wasted space. But what is the reason for switching the position of regular tabs and private tabs? There's no benefit; it's just a random change that the user needs to get used to for no reason. 

As far as the new aesthetic changes go, I'll admit that I do not like the look at all. But I can get used to an aesthetic change as long as functionality remains! These updates don't clear that very low bar. 

I don't care about a VPN. I don't care about split screen. These new features seem like an attempt to distract from the other changes. Remember when Firefox was a lean, lightweight browser that did a few things very well, and extensions provided extras? What happened to that? 

I've been using Firefox on my desktop since it was Phoenix 0.1 and this is the worst UI change I've seen. On my Android devices I've downgraded to an older version and turned off updates. Please provide a way to bring back a functional menu.

[Crusader_Nejaa]

I agree with just about everything here with the exception of the tab viewer. The previous iteration only took up part of the screen with the ability to swipe it down to dismiss it and be able to see part of the web page you were on. In my view that was *vastly* superior to what they replaced it with, which feels like a whole other app that's showing me what sites I have open.

I also want to add this to the conversation. 

A friend of mine only has his right hand. He was thrilled that we found Firefox mobile a few years back when chrome got rid of the tabs list view. That on top of a few other things made Firefox his new browser instantly due to everything being accessible with his right hand. With this new update that's all gone. There's no options to get any of the things that made Firefox so simple and easy for him to navigate with his single hand. So now he's looking for something else to use. Some that will most likely not work for him as easily and seamlessly. I'm looking as well, for me it's because I can't stand the new UI in the least. It's yet another company that doesn't think about how some people use their app and just says "You'll use it this way now and be happy about it"

[seseiSeki]

Before Firefox on Android get reworked and added the bottom address bar, I used Yandex Browser. Lo and behold:

This is its tab switch UI. You tap a button on the bottom of your screen and you get a screen where everything is where your thumb is. Buttons that provide additional features and, most importantly, your tabs. Right at your fingertips. You can even scroll down tabs that are too high up so you can tap them.

When the reworked Firefox app was still getting refined, I was hoping that tabs and controls would soon also be put at the bottom of the screen, where your thumb is, because... that just makes sense, right? That was in 2019. Seven years later and the tabs are on the opposite side of the screen.

Though I wouldn't advise you to use Yandex Browser. They really bloated the poor thing. Every other menu is full of nonsense. Yet still the tab switcher is the most usable I've seen when it comes to Android web browsers. 

[fed-up]

Couldn't agree more! The bubble look is terrible, but not a deal breaker. But the menu and tab switcher just suck. Not gonna stick with Firefox if this is the way they treat their users, and I've been loyal to FF for a long time.