(Guide) Here is what you need to know about the 2020 Firefox for Android upgrade

[Karlston]

Here is what you need to know about the 2020 Firefox for Android upgrade

Mozilla is working on a new mobile browser for Android that is called Firefox Preview currently. Firefox Preview is in development at the time of writing and available as Stable, Beta and Preview channel version.

 

While it is in preview, the classic version of Firefox for Android remains the main mobile browser by Mozilla; this is going to change in 2020 when classic Firefox will be migrated to Firefox Preview (which, I suppose, will be renamed to just Firefox then).

 

Important: the requirements for the automatic upgrade from current Firefox to Firefox Preview are that the mobile device runs at least Android 5 and that the installed version of the Firefox browser is at least 59. If the requirements are not met, Firefox won't be upgraded to the new version.

 

Mozilla plans to migrate Nightly users first. If Firefox Nightly is installed on a device that meets the requirements, it will be upgraded to Firefox Preview "in early 2020". A date has not been set yet and Mozilla does not mention the channel that Nightly users will be migrated to but it is almost certain that they will be migrated to the Nightly version of Firefox Preview.

 

In [Northern hemisphere] Spring 2020, Firefox Beta installations and Firefox Stable installations will be migrated to Firefox Preview if they meet the requirements.

 

 

Once migrated, there is no option to rollback to the previous version of Firefox. Android users may want to consider creating backups of Firefox or the entire system before the migration happens.

 

The following items will be migrated:

• Open Tabs.
• The browsing history.
• The bookmarks.
• If Firefox Account is used, it will be migrated.
• Cookies and "partial browser cache".
• The uBlock Origin add-on.
• Saved logins if no master password is used.

These require some explanation. The initial version of Firefox Preview for Android comes with limited support for add-ons. Only uBlock Origin will remain enabled after the migration, any other add-on that is installed will be disabled; this is temporary only according to Mozilla. The organization wants to add support for more add-ons in upcoming releases and enable full add-on support in late 2020.

 

Since logins are not migrated if a master password is set, it is advised to either back up the logins or disable the master password before the migration happens to ensure that the logins are migrated.

 

Google Search will be set to the default search engine during the migration. Users who want to use a different search engine need to change it after the migration.

 

Firefox Preview for Android offers better performance and security according to Mozilla. The mobile browser includes support for tracking protection, collections and new customization options.

 

Some features that were available in the previous versions of Firefox for Android may not become available of they "weren't frequently used".

 

 

Source: Here is what you need to know about the 2020 Firefox for Android upgrade (gHacks - Martin Brinkmann)