New versions of Firefox Preview, Mozilla’s test browser for Android, are out: v3.1.0 and the v3.2.0 beta. Firefox Preview is the early version of the next Firefox for Android, and each release brings it closer to replacing the current app.
What Firefox Preview is
Mozilla introduced Firefox Preview in June 2019 as “a publicly available test version of our upcoming best in class browser for Android”. It runs on GeckoView, Mozilla’s own mobile browser engine, which Mozilla says lets it deliver a faster and more private Firefox on Android. By December 2019, hundreds of thousands of people had downloaded and tested it.
Mozilla offered the new browser to early adopters as a separate app so that it would not disrupt people using the regular Firefox for Android.
Features in Firefox Preview
- Enhanced Tracking Protection on by default. Firefox Preview uses Strict mode, while desktop Firefox defaults to Standard. Mozilla explained that on a phone, people care more about speed and fewer annoyances, so it blocks trackers outright.
- Extensions. Support for extensions through the WebExtensions API was one of the newest additions in late 2019.
- A modern design. Beta users liked its fresh look, faster browsing and new interface elements such as the bottom navigation bar.
Why Mozilla built a new Android browser
Mozilla said it wanted a Firefox for Android that was faster, more reliable and better at solving everyday problems, and built on its own engine to give the strongest privacy and security on Android. It narrowed down what users wanted by studying usage and feedback from early adopters. It then changed features where its first assumptions turned out to be wrong.
How to get Firefox Preview
- Open the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
- Search for Firefox Preview and check that the developer is Mozilla.
- Tap Install. It installs next to your existing Firefox, so you can try both.
- Updates arrive through Google Play like any other app.
What comes next
On January 17, 2020, Mozilla said the new browser would start rolling out on January 21, 2020 to people using the Firefox for Android Nightly app. It planned Beta in spring 2020 and the main release later in the first half of the year. Mozilla planned for this new browser to replace the existing Firefox for Android. If your phone struggles with a new browser, these tips for speeding up an old Android phone may help, and our about:config guide covers Firefox’s advanced settings on desktop.
