Results from the Browser Features Survey
Results from the Browser Features Survey
Hellllooo Mozilla Connect! We want to thank those folks (2,852 of you!) who participated in the Firefox User Research survey on feature priorities we posted here last month. If you recall, this survey showed participants multiple sets of 3 random browser features, then had participants pick whether...
Funny how people were interpreting the survey itself as a way to pretend that everybody wanted AI even when they didn't - yet somehow it was possible that it didn't end up in the top 10 😅
(Also understandably, this won't be 1:1 the roadmap, for the caveats they mentioned in the post. Still helpful!)
Because people don't understand statistics. The survey was very well made.
The view tracker is an interesting proposition I currently use uMatrix to have fine-grained control over what is getting loaded amd some sites are downright unholy in how much thrid-party stuff gets loaded to display a site.
I'm surprised "Customizable UI" was so high, I'm pretty sure I was one of those who marked it down as "want least." I guess it's cool, but I prefer the browser to get out of my way instead of being something I spend time messing with.
That said, I'm happy and not particularly surprised that AI didn't show up anywhere in the top-10.
RIP PWAs
Guys, can't seem to find split view. Search hasn't been helpful nor going through the settings. Any tip on how to find/use it?
I think you might be looking for this?
Yes, that's it. Didn't realise it's an add-on. Thanks, Charmain Meow (spare the sparrows this time 😄 ).
This is gonna be very useful! 😃
Unfortunatly this wasn't Android exclusive. The Firefox Android App sucked ass in the past and will probably suck ass for the foreseeable future. There are currently multiple support and Reddit threads going about insane battery drain and heat build-up caused by the Firefox App (even when suspended and battery optimized). The UI is barebones and lacks basic features like closing tabs from the navigation bar or opening new tabs by scrolling left on the rightmost tab. Even something as simple as having actual tabs akin to the desktop version is not present, instead you have a tab list or grid view that barely manages to load previews for each open website. The native video player also hasn't been touched in a literal decade.
All in all Firefox Android is a horrible experience that has only the ability to use extensions going for it.
Really? Performance-wise, Firefox on Android runs great for me. No battery drain.
It is lacking in a lot of features though.
At least for me, it does. It got so bad that watching a Twitch stream caused my phone to overheat to the point of freezing up and turning off. In comparison, the offical Twitch app doesn't cause the same issue, neither does Brave. Watching YouTube on Firefox drains the battery basically 2% per minute. OK, my phone is older and runs a custom rom, but other apps run flawlessly.
As expected, nobody cares about "reader mode". Only once in my life has it ever come in handy... It was a website that was so badly designed I swore never to go back to it ever again.
I forget what it was but apparently I wasn't the only one and thus, it must've died a fast death as I haven't seen it ever again (otherwise I'd remember).
Basically, any website that gets users so frustrated that they resort to reader/simplified mode isn't going to last very long. If I had my way I would change the messages:
"This website appears to be total shit. Do you want Firefox to try to fix it so your eyes don't bleed trying to get through it?"
I want an extension that does this, actually! It doesn't need to actually modify the page. Just give me a virtual assistant to comiserate with...
"The people who made this website should have their browser's back button removed entirely as punishment for erecting this horror!"
As expected, nobody cares about "reader mode".
Whaaat? Reader mode is fantastic! I feel like everyone who knows about it, loves it, it's just that few people know about it.
Edit: ah, it's top 10, so actually one of the most popular features.
Me, it makes me a bit sad it's so low. Reader Mode is one the really cool features of Firefox, but I understand that consuming web content by reading is rapidly on the decline, as a result of the comparatively low information density of video and audio allowing bigger ad space compared to text.
Plus we know from the last 10-15 years how much reading comprehension has nosedived since the proliferation of video content.
I love reader mode. It can force dark mode, a pleasant font and font size, and stop those pop-ups that appear as you scroll. Firefox reader is better than anything I've seen on Chrome.
I wish Firefox for Android had the option to set reader mode to follow system theme like the desktop version.
The current era internet is full of web pages that can be salvaged with reader mode. It is an essential tool for my everyday browsing habits.
Reader mode is really useful and I use it daily basis. It removes all the clutter and leaves just the important part.
Reader Mode is 100% the best way to read a pay wall article. Turn it on, hit refresh.
Use reader mode all the time.