Firefox for Android has been a disappointment in the mobile browser world for a while now. Let’s go through the many reasons why Firefox for Android just isn’t measuring up:

  1. Android’s security measures are lackluster. It’s like leaving a toddler to guard a candy store - not very effective.
  2. Certificate Issues: Firefox for Android is like a friend who never gives you the full scoop. While Chrome reveals all the details about a website’s security certificates, Firefox leaves users in the dark.
  3. Engine Rewrite Fail: Firefox for Android attempted to one-up Chrome by rewriting their engine, but the result was a flop bigger than my last cake-baking attempt.
  4. No Mute Tab Option: Firefox for Android doesn’t offer any way to mute tabs, a feature that Chrome has had built-in for ages.
  5. Limited Extension Support: Firefox for Android is trying to lure users away from Chrome by supporting 450 extensions, but browsers like Yandex, Samsung Internet, and Kiwi have offered full extension support for years. Firefox is late to the party, and their limited selection might not be enough to sway users who value extensive customization.
  6. Unclear Address Bar Search: When you search in the address bar of Firefox for Android, only the search term is displayed, making it difficult to ascertain if the URL is legitimate or not.
  7. No Clear URL Display Option: Unlike some other mobile browsers, Firefox for Android does not offer an option to always display the full URL, including the protocol and “www” prefix, in the address bar.
  8. Persistent Full-Screen Bug: The full-screen bug (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1797340) has been hanging around Firefox for Android for years, and they’re slower than a sloth when it comes to fixing it.
  9. Lackluster Design: Firefox for Android’s design is like a cheap knock-off of a premium product.
  10. Analytics Overload: Firefox for Android has both Google and Firefox Analytics baked in. Talk about bloatware.
  11. Compatibility Issues: Firefox for Android breaks more sites than a bull in a china shop, Compatibility is not its strong suit.
  12. Bookmark Management Troubles: Firefox for Android presents a number of frustrating issues when managing bookmarks, which significantly lag behind the standards set by its competitors. Users are unable to edit bookmarks during a search due to the absence of the “hamburger” icon for editing options. Additionally, when multiple bookmarks are selected, the only choice offered is to delete them, with no other options available. The process of organizing favorite bookmarks becomes a tedious task, as users are unable to easily arrange them, and cannot move multiple bookmarks to a single folder in one go, but instead have to move them individually. Moreover, users are unable to see the number of bookmarks in a folder, making it difficult to manage and organize bookmarks effectively. These limitations pose significant challenges to the overall user experience, causing Firefox for Android to fall short of the expectations set by other browsers in terms of bookmark management.
  13. Limited Customization: Firefox for Android claims to be “customizable,” but it doesn’t offer any significant customization options that Chrome doesn’t already have. While Firefox does provide some basic customization features, such as enabling or disabling the shortcuts and jump back in features on the homepage, these options are also available in Chrome. In fact, Chrome offers additional customization features like moving the search bar to the bottom, adding widgets to the home screen, and a dark mode. Thus, Firefox for Android falls short in terms of offering anything truly unique or groundbreaking in the realm of customization.
  14. The home button located near the address bar is a persistent eyesore, refusing to disappear even when you want it to. This inflexibility contradicts Firefox for Android’s claim of being “customizable,” leaving users frustrated and disappointed.
  15. No Tab Groups: Firefox for Android is stuck in the past, with no option for tab groups.
  16. View Lists of All Websites: Firefox for Android lacks a feature that allows users to easily view lists of all websites saved, cached, or cookie-stored on their device. This can be inconvenient for users who want to manage their online content effectively. The absence of this feature may make Firefox less appealing to users who prefer browsers with more comprehensive options for data access and control.
  17. No Split-Screen UI: Want to use Firefox while doing something else simultaneously? Unfortunately, you can’t because the UI won’t adapt properly to a split-screen mode.
  18. No “New Window” Feature: Unlike Chrome, Firefox for Android doesn’t have the “New Window” feature that allows users to open a new instance of the browser while using another app. In Chrome, you can access this by opening the menu (the “hamburger” icon) and selecting “New Window,” which will open a second Chrome window. Even if Firefox had this feature, its UI issues would likely prevent you from accessing it, as the UI would be outside the reachable area in a split-screen mode.
  19. Constant Forced-Unloading of Tabs: Firefox for Android often forcibly unloads tabs under memory pressure or after using another app for a while and keeping Firefox in the background.
  20. Lack of Tab Previews: Unlike competitors, Firefox for Android doesn’t offer tab previews, making it difficult to quickly identify tabs.
  21. No Dedicated Tablet UI: Firefox for Android does not have a dedicated tablet UI, making the browsing experience on a tablet less than ideal as the UI is not optimized for the larger screen size.
  22. Poor WebAssembly Support: Firefox for Android struggles with WebAssembly, leading to more issues than solutions.
  23. Lack of Complete Video Format Support: Firefox for Android doesn’t support all video formats, leaving users frustrated and searching for alternative browsers.
  24. No Offline Dino Game: Firefox for Android takes itself too seriously to include a fun offline game like Chrome’s Dino game.
  25. Unreliable Offline Page Caching: If you’re offline and need to access a previously visited page, don’t count on Firefox for Android to have your back. Its cached pages are about as reliable as a broken compass, leaving you in the lurch when you need them the most. You’re better off using smoke signals.
  26. Bloated and Slow: Firefox for Android is more bloated than Chrome, making it slower and less efficient.
  27. All Talk, No Action: Firefox for Android is like a friend who always promises to do better, but never follows through.
  28. Clumsy Performance: Firefox for Android is like a clumsy waiter - always dropping the ball. Stick with Chrome, folks. It may not be perfect, but at least it won’t leave you hanging.

Some Firefox fans are attempting to manipulate me into developing features myself, so they can benefit from my work and free time. They seem unwilling to contribute or offer support, and expect others to do all the work for them. It’s disappointing that they can barely type a few words before complaining about fatigue, yet they expect others to dedicate their time and effort to developing features for their benefit.

Using Firefox on Android to “improve” your privacy is pointless - it’s like saying cutting off your nose will prevent COVID. Firefox doesn’t have its own WebView, so it relies on the system WebView, which is based on Chromium. This means you’re still indirectly using Google’s technology. Additionally, since Android is made by Google, using Firefox on it doesn’t really make a difference. It’s like having toddlers guard your security - ineffective and unreliable.