For the segment of the market that chooses Firefox over Chrome, the default browser on Android devices, the experience just got better. Firefox maker Mozilla today announced the release of over 450 new extensions—also known as browser add-ons—that are now available on Mozilla Firefox browser add-ons page. These extensions allow users to customize the mobile browser to their needs, whether that includes plug-ins anti-tracking privacy tools;, content inhibitorsproductivity tools or other features that introduce new experiences, such as music streaming, or those that allow users to customize the browser user interface — such as change all websites to dark mode or offering a better way to manage tabs.
Lack of extensions has been a problem for Firefox for Android users for years the 2020 release of a reworked version of the mobile browser which replaced the app’s previous code base with “GeckoView”, a new, faster and more customizable browser engine. At that time, the company he said he made a decision limit supported extensions to only those within the Recommended Extensions program — that is, those commonly installed by end users. That choice allowed Mozilla to quickly get the new browser into the hands of consumers, but squeezed the long tail of extension development — and the opportunity for software developers focused on that market.
While nightly versions of Firefox later allowed more extensions, the publicly available Firefox browser for Android didn’t have access to those hundreds of extensions, meaning most mainstream Firefox users didn’t either.
In August of this year, Mozilla said had finally completed the infrastructure needed to bring the open extension ecosystem back to Firefox for Android. It then began testing and making hundreds of other extensions available in Firefox for Android users, culminating in today’s news that there are now 450+ extensions available.
The company emphasized the importance of having an open ecosystem, noting that nearly half of Firefox desktop users have an extension installed to customize their experience.
Many of the recommended Android browser extensions have user numbers in the six figures or more, but the app itself only retains a small slice of the mobile browser market, due to the traction achieved by the default browsers, Chrome and Safari. Android and iOS, respectively. On mobile, Firefox has just 0.5% market share as of November 2023; according to StatCounter data. In comparison, Chrome has a 64.23% share. Safari, Samsung’s browser, Opera and others are also ahead of Firefox in the mobile browser race.
However, the app has a small but dedicated following, including those looking for alternatives from others beyond the Big Tech giants. One of its key selling points is its automatic tracker blocking, which appeals to the more privacy-minded. According to Google Play Store data, Firefox for Android has surpassed 100 million installations to date.
“The opportunity for innovation is huge,” Giorgio Natili, director of Engineering at Firefox, said in a statement announcement regarding the release of extensions. “It’s exciting to see extension developers embracing this moment and creating new browsing experiences and features for Firefox for Android users. People no longer need to browse the mobile web in a strictly unique way. With extensions, you can change the way Firefox for Android looks and behaves. It will only get better as more developers innovate in this exciting new space,” he added.
