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Firefox Mobile Changelog

What's new in Firefox Mobile 9.0 Beta 2

Nov 21, 2011
  • New Look for Tablets: Firefox Beta has a new experience for tablets that leverages the large screen size and makes mobile Web browsing more intuitive. Popular Firefox features like tabs and the Awesome Screen are optimized for tablets
  • Full-Screen Portrait Browsing: Firefox Beta takes advantage of large tablet screens so you can use the full screen to browse the Web, even in portrait mode. Tabs are listed in a top left menu and easily hide when you don’t need them
  • Tab Optimization: Tabs are shown as thumbnails in the left panel of Firefox Beta, allowing you to easily switch between tabs while still viewing full websites on the right. You can swipe to the left to hide tabs for a full screen view
  • New Action Bar with Quick Access Buttons: You can access Firefox Preferences, Add-ons, downloads and more in the new Action Bar menu (next to the Awesome Bar). The Action Bar adds back, forward and bookmark buttons for easy access
  • HTML Input Tag for Camera Access: Developers can build mobile websites and Web apps that allow you to use the camera on an Android phone or tablet to take pictures, scan bar codes and more without leaving Firefox
  • HTML5 Form Validation: Firefox Beta supports the HTML5 Form Validation API which automatically validates website form fields like numbers, emails and URLs without developers needing to write a custom code or use a third-party library
  • Firefox for Android is built on the same rendering engine as Firefox for desktop computers.

New in Firefox Mobile 8.0 (Nov 17, 2011)

  • Master Password: Added support for one master password to help users encrypt saved usernames and passwords for increased security
  • Add Bookmarks to Your Home Screen: Users can now bookmark any website and add it to their Android Home Screen. From the Home Screen, the user can launch the bookmarked website with one click
  • Firefox for Android is built on the same rendering engine as Firefox for desktop computers. Please see the Firefox release notes for additional relevant changes

New in Firefox Mobile 1.1 (Jul 5, 2010)

  • Firefox 1.1 is built on the same browser engine as Firefox 3.6 for desktop computers with extensive under the hood work to optimize for mobile. For the 1.1 release, we've listened to your feedback to help improve the browsing experience. As a result, polishing the user interface and improving UI responsiveness and performance is at the heart of this release. Secure, powerful and customizable, Firefox 1.1 for the Nokia N900 is packed with your favorite features and great improvements.
  • Highlights include:
  • Firefox lets you browse in landscape and portrait mode
  • Volume rocker lets you zoom in and out
  • Personalized Start page helps you pick up where you left off
  • Add-ons auto-update and you can view the full add-on gallery
  • Fill out forms more easily with autocomplete improvements
  • Smart Tapping lets you tap on links, widgets and other Web content with accuracy
  • Context Menu lets you Open in New Tab and Save Image by long tapping and holding a link
  • Save to PDF in the Site Menu lets you capture important content, like a receipt or boarding pass, to view offline or access quickly
  • Forget Password in the Site Menu tells a website you no longer trust to forget your private data
  • Add Search Engine in the Site Menu lets you quickly add a new search engine to your Awesome Screen

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 RC3 (Jan 28, 2010)

  • Improvements to Performance and Productivity:
  • For our third release candidate of Firefox for Maemo, we put a lot of emphasis on improving overall performance: Web pages load significantly faster than RC2. Panning is more responsive and zooming in on Web pages is much faster. The Awesome Bar will now pop up much faster when you tap on it.
  • Plugins Disabled to Improve User Experience:
  • Support for plugins has been disabled. On most Web pages that use the Adobe Flash plugin, the performance of the plugin didn't meet our standards, and the interactivity and performance of the entire Web page was negatively impacted, especially on pages with multiple instances of the plugin. Advanced users can enable plugins for experimentation and testing purposes only. We are working on ways for the user to have control of which sites to enable plugins for, as some sites, like YouTube, do work quite well. That capability will most likely be packaged as a browser add-on.
  • Firefox is currently supported on Nokia’s Maemo platform, available for download on the Nokia N900. Initially available in more than 30 languages, download and learn more by visiting Firefox.com/mobile.
  • You'll see many of your favorite features for the desktop Firefox, now optimized for an exceptional mobile experience:
  • Easy Navigation to Web Content:
  • Awesome Bar: The Smart Location Bar, or "Awesome Bar" is even more awesome on a mobile device. The Awesome Bar gets you to your Web destination with minimal typing, by intelligently searching the names, URLs and tags of the sites you visit, and takes into account how often and recently you visit them. With Weave Sync, the Awesome Bar will also search the Web history from Firefox on your PC
  • Easy access to many search engines: Type your search term right in the Awesome Bar to search Google. Or send your search to another search engine (Wikipedia, Amazon.com, Twitter) with one touch. Customize with the search engines of your choice.
  • Touch Interface Optimization:
  • Touch-enabled UI: Greatly improved panning and scrolling performance bug 539062
  • View without obstructions: The browser controls and Awesome Bar get stowed away when you reach your website so you can use the whole screen to view the site. Start to pan up or to the sides and your controls and Awesome Bar reappear
  • Quick zoom: Double tap on the screen to zoom in, double tap to zoom back out
  • One-touch bookmarking: Bookmark a Web site in one touch, along with the ability to tag it with a memorable term
  • Tabbed browsing: Thumbnails of your open tabs easily identify your open pages.
  • Performance:
  • Modified Content Sink preference has significantly decreased page load time bug 538655
  • Use of a new, less animated page load throbber decreased page load time by another 10-15% bug 539495
  • Double-tap to zoom is much faster bug 537660
  • Greatly improved panning and scrolling performance bug 539062
  • Seamless Synchronization:
  • Weave Sync: Create a Weave Sync account on your desktop and install the Weave Sync add-on on your mobile to synchronize your Firefox tabs, passwords, history and bookmarks between your desktop and mobile
  • Less typing: Access Firefox for mobile’s Awesome Bar and visit any site you’ve ever been to, regardless of which computer you visited it on, with just a couple keystrokes
  • Don't start from scratch: Weave Sync brings along your saved passwords from your desktop, removing barriers to your favorite sites
  • Get up and go: Take your Firefox with you wherever you go. Surf the Web on your PC, get up and go, and have everything waiting for you on your phone -- even your open tabs.
  • A Personalized Experience:
  • Add-ons: Firefox is the first mobile Web browser to support add-ons. You can view recommended add-ons in the Add-ons Manager and install them directly from your mobile device
  • Location-Aware Browsing: Be a local wherever you are. Get maps and info relevant to your location. Its all optional– Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission– and is done with the utmost respect for your privacy.
  • Private and Secure:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry"): Tap on a site favicon for an instant identity overview
  • Password manager: Typing passwords on your phone is hard, so why do it more than you have to? Choose to remember site passwords and forget ever having to endure long and difficult typing
  • Popup blocker: Banish pop-ups from your surfing experience once and for all
  • Clear private data: As an extra security measure, you can clear all your private data via your Preferences
  • Customized security settings: Customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons for a fully empowered mobile browsing experience
  • Automated Update: Install upgrades directly to your device when you receive an automatic notification, or wait until you’re ready.
  • Productivity:
  • The Awesome Bar will now pop up much faster when you tap on it bug 536368
  • Preferences pane: Go to your Preferences in one touch. From here, manage your plugins and security settings, as well as access your Downloads Manager and Add-ons Manager
  • Download manager: Download files seamlessly and securely. The manager shows your download progress and lets you search your files by name or the Web address where the download came from
  • Spell checker: Catch typos and misspellings in form fields.

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 RC1 (Jan 11, 2010)

  • Built on the same browser engine as Firefox 3.6 for the desktop, the new mobile Firefox comes packed full of your favorite features like the Awesome Bar, Add-ons, Weave Sync and Location-Aware Browsing.
  • Firefox is currently supported on Nokia’s Maemo platform, available for download on the Nokia N900. Initially available in over 15 languages, download and learn more by visiting Firefox.com/mobile.
  • You'll see many of your favorite features for the desktop Firefox, now optimized for an exceptional mobile experience:
  • Easy Navigation to Web Content:
  • Awesome Bar: The Smart Location Bar, or "Awesome Bar" is even more awesome on a mobile device. The Awesome Bar gets you to your Web destination with minimal typing, by intelligently searching the names, URLs and tags of the sites you visit, and takes into account how often and recently you visit them. With Weave Sync, the Awesome Bar will also search the Web history from Firefox on your PC
  • Easy access to many search engines: Type your search term right in the Awesome Bar to search Google. Or send your search to another search engine (Wikipedia, Amazon.com, Twitter) with one touch. Customize with the search engines of your choice.
  • Touch Interface Optimization:
  • Touch-oriented UI: Firefox's touch-enabled interface allows you to swipe left to view your controls (bookmark, go backward and forward, access your browser tools, like Add-ons, preferences and downloads) and swipe right to view your open tabs
  • View without obstructions: The browser controls and Awesome Bar get stowed away when you reach your website so you can use the whole screen to view the site. Start to pan up or to the sides and your controls and Awesome Bar reappear
  • Quick zoom: Double tap on the screen to zoom in, double tap to zoom back out
  • One-touch bookmarking: Bookmark a Web site in one touch, along with the ability to tag it with a memorable term
  • Tabbed browsing: Thumbnails of your open tabs easily identify your open pages.
  • Seamless Synchronization:
  • Weave Sync: Create a Weave Sync account on your PC and install the Weave Sync add-on on your mobile to synchronize your Firefox tabs, passwords, history and bookmarks between your PC and mobile
  • Less typing: Access Firefox for mobile’s Awesome Bar and visit any site you’ve ever been to, regardless of which computer you visited it on, with just a couple keystrokes
  • Don't start from scratch: Weave Sync brings along your saved passwords from your desktop, removing barriers to your favorite sites
  • Get up and go: Take your Firefox with you wherever you go. Surf the Web on your PC, get up and go, and have everything waiting for you on your phone -- even your open tabs.
  • A Personalized Experience:
  • Add-ons: Firefox is the first mobile Web browser to support add-ons. You can discover and install useful extensions for your browser directly from your mobile device
  • Location-Aware Browsing: Be a local wherever you are. Get maps and info relevant to your location. Its all optional– Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission– and is done with the utmost respect for your privacy.
  • Private and Secure:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry"): Tap on a site favicon for an instant identity overview
  • Password manager: Typing passwords on your phone is hard, so why do it more than you have to? Choose to remember site passwords and forget ever having to endure long and difficult typing
  • Popup blocker: Banish pop-ups from your surfing experience once and for all
  • Clear private data: As an extra security measure, you can clear all your private data via your Preferences
  • Customized security settings: Customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons for a fully empowered mobile browsing experience
  • Automated Update: Install upgrades directly to your device when you receive an automatic notification, or wait until you’re ready.
  • Productivity:
  • Preferences pane: Go to your Preferences in one touch. From here, manage your plugins and security settings, as well as access your Downloads Manager and Add-ons Manager
  • Download manager: Download files seamlessly and securely. The manager shows your download progress and lets you search your files by name or the Web address where the download came from
  • Spell checker: Catch typos and misspellings in form fields.

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 RC1 (Jan 4, 2010)

  • Built on the same browser engine as Firefox 3.6 for the desktop, the new mobile Firefox comes packed full of your favorite features like the Awesome Bar, Add-ons, Weave Sync and Location-Aware Browsing.
  • Firefox is currently supported on Nokia’s Maemo platform, available for download on the Nokia N900. Initially available in over 15 languages, download and learn more by visiting Firefox.com/mobile.
  • You'll see many of your favorite features for the desktop Firefox, now optimized for an exceptional mobile experience:
  • Easy Navigation to Web Content
  • Awesome Bar: The Smart Location Bar, or "Awesome Bar" is even more awesome on a mobile device. The Awesome Bar gets you to your Web destination with minimal typing, by intelligently searching the names, URLs and tags of the sites you visit, and takes into account how often and recently you visit them. With Weave Sync, the Awesome Bar will also search the Web history from Firefox on your PC
  • Easy access to many search engines: Type your search term right in the Awesome Bar to search Google. Or send your search to another search engine (Wikipedia, Amazon.com, Twitter) with one touch. Customize with the search engines of your choice.
  • Touch Interface Optimization:
  • Touch-oriented UI: Firefox's touch-enabled interface allows you to swipe left to view your controls (bookmark, go backward and forward, access your browser tools, like Add-ons, preferences and downloads) and swipe right to view your open tabs
  • View without obstructions: The browser controls and Awesome Bar get stowed away when you reach your website so you can use the whole screen to view the site. Start to pan up or to the sides and your controls and Awesome Bar reappear
  • Quick zoom: Double tap on the screen to zoom in, double tap to zoom back out
  • One-touch bookmarking: Bookmark a Web site in one touch, along with the ability to tag it with a memorable term
  • Tabbed browsing: Thumbnails of your open tabs easily identify your open pages.
  • Seamless Synchronization:
  • Weave Sync: Create a Weave Sync account on your PC and install the Weave Sync add-on on your mobile to synchronize your Firefox tabs, passwords, history and bookmarks between your PC and mobile
  • Less typing: Access Firefox for mobile’s Awesome Bar and visit any site you’ve ever been to, regardless of which computer you visited it on, with just a couple keystrokes
  • Don't start from scratch: Weave Sync brings along your saved passwords from your desktop, removing barriers to your favorite sites
  • Get up and go: Take your Firefox with you wherever you go. Surf the Web on your PC, get up and go, and have everything waiting for you on your phone -- even your open tabs.
  • A Personalized Experience:
  • Add-ons: Firefox is the first mobile Web browser to support add-ons. You can discover and install useful extensions for your browser directly from your mobile device
  • Location-Aware Browsing: Be a local wherever you are. Get maps and info relevant to your location. Its all optional– Firefox doesn’t share your location without your permission– and is done with the utmost respect for your privacy.
  • Private and Secure:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry"): Tap on a site favicon for an instant identity overview
  • Password manager: Typing passwords on your phone is hard, so why do it more than you have to? Choose to remember site passwords and forget ever having to endure long and difficult typing
  • Popup blocker: Banish pop-ups from your surfing experience once and for all
  • Clear private data: As an extra security measure, you can clear all your private data via your Preferences
  • Customized security settings: Customize settings for passwords, cookies, loading images and installing add-ons for a fully empowered mobile browsing experience
  • Automated Update: Install upgrades directly to your device when you receive an automatic notification, or wait until you’re ready.
  • Productivity:
  • Preferences pane: Go to your Preferences in one touch. From here, manage your plugins and security settings, as well as access your Downloads Manager and Add-ons Manager
  • Download manager: Download files seamlessly and securely. The manager shows your download progress and lets you search your files by name or the Web address where the download came from
  • Spell checker: Catch typos and misspellings in form fields.

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 Beta 4 (Oct 8, 2009)

  • Build now works on the N900
  • Streamlined bookmarking, editing, and management
  • Install and manage search engines
  • Improved touch-friendly theme
  • Improved panning and zooming performance
  • Support for add-on options in the Add-ons Manager
  • Integration with Maemo5 system UI controls
  • Notification of tabs opened in the background
  • Numerous other bugs and polish issues addressed
  • This builds upon the feature set of the previous releases:
  • Easy navigation to Web content:
  • Smart URL bar ("awesome bar")
  • Integrated Web search - built into the URL bar
  • Easy access to multiple search engines
  • Interface Optimization:
  • Touch-oriented UI
  • Maximize content by auto-hiding controls and URL bar
  • Zoom in and out
  • Touch-enabled bookmarking, controls, tabs
  • Tabbed browsing allows view of multiple thumbnails
  • Ability to scroll iframes
  • Security:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry")
  • Password manager
  • Popup blocker
  • Clear recent history
  • Customized security settings
  • Automated Update
  • Customization:
  • Add-ons manager, including ability to find and install add-ons directly to device
  • Location-Aware browsing
  • Productivity:
  • Offline browsing
  • Download manager
  • Preferences pane
  • Spell checker
  • Performance:
  • Memory management
  • Devices services integration:
  • Click on a phone number to initiate a call
  • JavaScript API to get device location

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 Beta 3 (Aug 21, 2009)

  • This is the third beta release of Firefox for Maemo, for testing purposes only, intended to:
  • gain wider feedback on our approach to the user experience
  • engage Mozilla community teams, including localizers and testers
  • get feedback from Web developers
  • encourage add-on developers to port existing add-ons and invent new ones for mobile
  • The initial focus of Fennec development was on building a new user experience that reflects Firefox's design principles, adding touch screen support and other interactions appropriate for mobile phones and other handheld devices, while preserving leading features like the Smart URL Bar ("awesome bar") and support for add-ons.
  • For beta 3, we have focused on improving the user experience, bug fixes and performance.

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 Beta 1 (Mar 18, 2009)

  • New for Beta 1:
  • TraceMonkey, Mozilla's new JavaScript engine
  • Faster application start-up time
  • Faster panning
  • Faster zooming
  • Initial implementation of bookmark folders and bookmark editing
  • Support for plug-ins
  • This builds upon the feature set of the alpha releases:
  • Easy navigation to Web content:
  • Bookmarks, including tags
  • Smart URL bar ("awesome bar")
  • Tabbed browsing with thumbnail images
  • Integrated Web search - built into the URL bar
  • Easy access to multiple search engines
  • Web content:
  • Maximize content by auto-hiding controls and URL bar
  • Zoom in and out
  • Security:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry")
  • Password manager
  • Popup blocker
  • Clear private data
  • Devices services integration:
  • Click on a phone number to initiate a call
  • JavaScript API to get device location
  • Also:
  • Searchable download manager
  • Preferences pane
  • Add-ons manager, including ability to directly find and install add-ons

New in Firefox Mobile 1.0 Alpha 2 (Feb 13, 2009)

  • New for alpha 2:
  • Faster panning
  • Faster zooming
  • Improved responsiveness while pages are loading
  • New content manipulation hooks for extension authors
  • Look and feel improvements to improve usability
  • This builds upon the feature set of alpha 1:
  • Easy navigation to Web content:
  • Bookmarks, including tags
  • Smart URL bar ("awesome bar")
  • Tabbed browsing with thumbnail images
  • Integrated Web search - built into the URL bar
  • Easy access to multiple search engines
  • Web content:
  • Maximize content by auto-hiding controls and URL bar
  • Zoom in and out
  • Security:
  • Instant Web site ID ("Larry")
  • Password manager
  • Popup blocker
  • Clear private data
  • Devices services integration:
  • Click on a phone number to initiate a call
  • JavaScript API to get device location
  • Also:
  • Searchable download manager
  • Preferences pane