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Firefox for Android now defaults to desktop websites on tablets and foldables
Mozilla has updated its Firefox browser on Android with support for defaulting to the desktop version of websites on large-screen Android devices such as tablets and foldables.
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Firefox for Android now supports over 450 extensions
Browser extensions are super useful on desktop platforms, but mobile browsers rarely support them. This week, Firefox for Android is taking a big step in changing that with support for over 450 new extensions available now.
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Firefox for Android is getting over 400 more extensions in December
Mozilla is opening the floodgates on extensions for Firefox on Android, with hundreds of new add-ons arriving in December.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube is loading slower for users with ad blockers on all browsers [U]
YouTube has started cracking down on ad blockers, and now, that includes slowing down the loading time for anyone who has an ad blocker installed on any browser.
Expand Expanding CloseMicrosoft Edge, Apple’s Safari, and Firefox have no plans to adopt Google’s FLoC initiative
After Google started rolling out FLoC to some Chrome users as a replacement for third-party cookies, the technology has become rather controversial. Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox have confirmed they don’t have immediate plans to adopt FLoC.
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Firefox 85 for Android re-enables ability to play DRM content from Netflix, Amazon, more
Firefox 85 for Android appears to have unceremoniously re-enabled the ability to playback DRM content on streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more.
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Firefox discontinues work toward Progressive Web Apps on desktop
One of the better recent features of the web is the ability for websites to be upgraded into standalone apps — called Progressive Web Apps — on your phone or desktop. Unfortunately, it seems Mozilla has discontinued the development of supporting Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on desktop versions of Firefox.
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Firefox for Android makes it even easier to add new browser extensions
Although Chrome dominates the mobile browser space on Android, Mozilla’s Firefox is a decent alternative with added — but limited — support for third-party extensions that make it a potential candidate for your browsing needs.
Expand Expanding CloseFirefox redesign rolls out widely this week on Android [Updated]
For a while now, Firefox has been working on a complete redesign for its Android browser known as “Fenix.” The updated browser delivers a lot of changes for the better, but it also cripples Mozilla’s extension support.
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Google founds Open Usage Commons to manage trademarks for open source projects
Google has announced the creation of Open Usage Commons, an organization aimed to help open source projects manage and enforce their trademarks appropriately and effectively.
Google releases Lighthouse web dev extension for Firefox
With Google constantly pushing for the “Next Billion Users,” there’s great need for web apps to run well on all devices and have good accessibility, and Google has provided the Lighthouse auditing tools to help developers accomplish that. To put Lighthouse in the hands of more web developers, Google has released it as a new Mozilla Firefox extension.
Google’s Android and iOS app crash analysis tool Firebase Crashlytics is now open source
For years now, long before it became a part of Google’s Firebase, Crashlytics has offered Android and iOS developers a way to obtain insights about if and why their app is crashing on their user’s devices. As has been the trend for Firebase libraries recently, Google has made Crashlytics for Android and iOS into an open source project.
First stable Tor Browser build now available on Android
The first official Tor Browser for Android is now available to download allowing the truly privacy conscious the ability to have a stable build on their mobile devices.
Google wants an open source silicon community for chip design
As evidenced by Android and Chromium, Google has long been committed to open source software. The company now wants to foster a similar community for hardware and chip design, particularly open source silicon.
Firefox for Android will soon block auto-playing video and audio
Firefox 66 will now block auto-playing video and audio when pages launch on Android thanks to the latest update to the popular desktop and mobile browser.
You can now more easily create Actions for Google Assistant w/ Java & Kotlin
As both Google Home and Google Assistant devices become more ubiquitous in our lives, making new Actions for the Assistant becomes an almost necessary step for developers. To make it easier for Android developers (among others) to make the leap, today, Google has released a Java & Kotlin library for Actions on Google.
Google Chrome Labs releases online and open source Etch-A-Sketch clone, Web-A-Skeb
Do you remember having an Etch-A-Sketch as a kid? Developers in the Google Chrome Labs sure do. Calling back to this nostalgic toy, Google Chrome Labs has released a free, online, open source recreation called Web-A-Skeb.
Google’s Chrome OS Camera app is now open source
Many aspects of Google Chrome and Chrome OS are available open source directly from Google under the Chromium projects. However, Google still keeps some things private. One piece of Chrome OS that’s been kept private all this time is the Camera app, but that is changing now with it being added to the open source Chromium repository. Google also seems to be planning some improvements like portrait mode.
Privacy-first mobile browser Firefox Focus brings new Android performance boost
Firefox Focus, Mozilla’s privacy focused browser for Android and iOS, has gotten a major update to its visuals and performance on Android today.
YouTube is five times faster on Google Chrome over Firefox and Edge according to Mozilla executive
YouTube’s user interface has changed a lot over the past year, both on mobile devices and on the desktop. Apparently, though, that redesign is causing issues with some browsers…
Google’s ‘AndroidX’ developer support libraries are now open-source
As part of the Android Jetpack announcement at I/O in May, Google unveiled a redesign for the Android Support Library, called AndroidX. Like its predecessor, AndroidX is designed to help developers maintain backward compatibility with old versions of Android. As announced on Reddit, these libraries are now open source, as part of AOSP.
Google is now a Platinum Member of The Linux Foundation
Open source is a very important principle at Google, considering how many of its projects are developed that way. Google is now a Platinum sponsor of The Linux Foundation — a non-profit organization that advances the cause.
Google announces Git code management protocol v2 w/ major bandwidth improvements
On its Open Source Blog, Google announced the first major revision of the open source Git protocol.
You can now watch YouTube TV using Firefox
YouTube TV has been a pretty awesome product so far, but its expansion to new platforms has been relatively slow. Recently, Google finally loosened its browser restriction on the service, allowing Firefox users to get in on the fun.