Firefox has a long-established track record as an alternative browser with a focus on privacy, speed, and usability.
It is the brainchild of the Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit organization that launched the original Firefox browser to take on the stranglehold of Internet Explorer.
Today it remains a challenger in the highly competitive browser marketplace. It has recently released its latest Android and iOS mobile browser apps.
Firefox Daylight, the latest version for Android, has overhauled the design to become faster, easier to use, more customizable, and more privacy-protecting.
Enhanced tracking protection
Default blocking of ad trackers and malware
Fast page downloads
One tap to go into private browsing mode
Moveable search bar
Extensive privacy settings
Dark mode to save eyes and battery life
Supports add-ons
The Mozilla community built Firefox in the early 2000s and successfully managed to break the monopoly previously enjoyed by Microsoft.
Twenty years on, the Mozilla fight for a healthier internet continues as they strive to empower users and hold Big Tech accountable.
The Mozilla we know today grew out of an open-source volunteer project in 1998. There are now two organizations: the Mozilla Foundation, the movement-building non-profit org, and the Mozilla Corporation, their wholly-owned subsidiary. The latter leads their market-based ventures and works in close conjunction with the Mozilla Foundation and the global community of Mozilla volunteers.
It is estimated that around 33 million people are browsing with Firefox on Android every month. This represents roughly a sixth of the browser’s 208 million or so total user numbers. As impressive as this sounds, it’s a drop in the bucket for Google’s Chrome browser.
Reviews of the latest iteration for Android - Firefox Daylight - is a genuinely mixed bag spanning the spectrum of love and hate. What’s new there, though, when a much-loved app gets tinkered with?
However, the app looks to the objective observer to be a step in the right direction in streamlining the Firefox browser on your mobile.
There’s no denying it’s a departure from previous versions, and not everyone is going to appreciate that. However, the new-look mobile browser’s features are more accessible and the overall interface more intuitive.
That said, it’s still not perfect. It is a work in progress, but it’s going in the right direction of travel to offer users a more personalized experience.
It’s free
It’s faster - around 10% quicker than previously
It’s volunteer-based and accountable
It focuses on privacy and security
Some features have disappeared
Firefox is downloadable from Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
The Android app requires Android 5.0 or later, while storage requirements vary by device. The Firefox rating on Google Play currently stands at 4.1 out of five.
Meanwhile, at the App Store, the iOS version looks for just 80.4 MB of storage space, making it relatively light compared to other storage-hogging browsers. It runs on iOS 11.4 or later. Apple users are unusually aligned with their Android counterparts, awarding the app 4.0 out of five.
