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calalilly
Strollin' around
Status: In development

It'd be helpful to have a new tab button next to the address bar on mobile for easy access.

Currently, opening a new tab requires two clicks - one to open the tab window, and another on the "+" button to open the new tab. This also requires interaction with two different parts of the screen that are far apart from each other (top right vs bottom right), which is hard to do one-handed or in a hurry, especially on larger phones.

 

I'm a heavy tab user, and the option to have a "+" button directly next to the address bar would make it easier to open a new tab quickly.

52 Comments
sammyke007
New member

How is this still not available?!

Christopher18
New member

Mid February, 2025. Still not a feature on iOS. Just left Chrome but a new tab button is ESSENTIAL for me. Will probably ditch Firefox if I canโ€™t find a solution soon. 

gamingexpert13
Strollin' around

Idk if I've ever seen anyone press the home button on any browser on any platform. I'm not sure why the firefox UX designers think that button is so important that it not only can't be hidden, but can't be changed to the button people actually use most often.

Also, does firefox on mobile not even have tab groups?... It's shocking how much better Brave browser is on mobile/android than firefox, despite not even having plugin/extension support (that is one feature firefox is better at. though Kiwi wins in that department because it isn't limited to a select handful of extensions like mobile firefox).

zaya
Strollin' around

I canโ€™t express in words how absolutely frustrating it is to go through multiple steps to open a new tab.

Honestly Iโ€™d settle for having the option to replace the home button on the toolbar for a new tab. 

Just please, something ๐Ÿ˜ญ 

I canโ€™t believe the original idea was posted in 2022 and now not only is it 2025 with no change, but itโ€™s also an option on all other mobile browser apps.

metamin
New member

I just tried switching from Chrome to Firefox on iOS because I love dark mode, and the inconvenience of not having a new tab button is enough for me to switch back. Please put a button to open new tab next to or instead of the home button, or allow the home button to open in a new separate tab so it doesnโ€™t take over the one Iโ€™m on. Reluctantly, Iโ€™ll have go back to using Chrome as my main mobile browser until this happens!

andyf
Employee
Employee

Hi! Thanks for your feedback! We're currently running a series of toolbar experiments in Firefox for iOS versions 136 and 137, which include a new tab button and a share button.

This is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the Firefox iOS experience.
If you're curious, you can try out the updated toolbar in Firefox iOS Beta 137.

You can join our Beta Testing Program -> https://testflight.apple.com/join/JdsubPZs

Jar_of_Gibbons
New member

I have a suggestion for a gesture that would make opening a new tab simpler, yet maintain the current UI (proposal in bold below). The idea is halfway there already: hold down on the tabs screen, and a dialogue box appears with three options:

  • Close tab
  • New private tab
  • New tab

This current "long-press the tab button to open a menu" UI has promise:

  • The best thing it does is it gives you easier access to the close tab and open private tab feature.
  • It preserves the simplicity in the navigation bar.
  • It does reduce the travel distance a little.
  • It also reduces the sudden visual change in UI (which can be unintuitive and disorienting to navigate easily, especially for users newly switching to Firefox, who will immediately lose interest in the platform if this isn't addressedโ€”just read the previous 50 comments already complaining it's a deal-breaker!)

But these are the issues:

  • It's lesser-known and takes time to discover.
  • It doesn't reduce the number of presses (two).
  • It's very unintuitive behavior, because it's rare for long-pressing menus to do something like this. Nothing else in the navigation bar works this way, and I've rarely come across other apps that use this gesture.

These problems can be easily dismissed as minutia, but this is an action users will perform at least three times per app session on average, if I had to guess. Internally I bet the analytics will show even higher numbers, but who can say. The point is, this is essential UX and it simply can't be ignored.

So with my gripes out of the way, here's the gesture I propose: long-press the tabs button, swipe to one of those three tab actions, then release to select. This would keep the admittedly very clean navigation bar as tidy as it already is, but provide that single-press action so many have been asking for (for years!)

And for goodness' sake don't leave this feature hidden to new users. Add it as part of a (skippable) introductory walk-through.

Also, it's a very reasonable suggestion others have made to provide a toggle of some sort where the current home button is replaced with a new tab button, but many don't realize that it functionally is a new tab button. It's the same. It simply doesn't read clearly as that.

I think that's one of the biggest failings here, since I only just realized that now, as I was reading this forum (I've used Firefox on Android for a year and never thought to tap the home button; it's that unintuitive, but I also won't rule out the fact I might be dumb, haha). It would be so easy to make the home button icon just a plus sign! And to optionally preserve the current UI, make it a setting for those who care.

@andyf, I'd appreciate a response should this ever be added to the beta which is "running a series of toolbar experiments", and thank you for your consideration.