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I switched from Chrome to Firefox on Android because Firefox supports any extension you want on mobile, where Chrome doesn't support any extensions on mobile.

I switched from Chrome to Firefox on Android because Firefox supports any extension you want on mobile, where Chrome doesn't support any extensions on mobile. uBlock Origin alone has made that switch worth it. No ads in Google results either.

tdeck 9y ago
You can also use Brave, which is based on the Chrome codebase so scrolling and rendering are smoother. I love Firefox but I just couldn't hack it on mobile.
- NTripleOne 9y ago
  Yeah, firefox has been a pretty abysmal experience for me on android, it's slow, scrolling is janky, it crashes almost every time I try to use it... it's just been a bad experience all around.
  - nindalf 9y ago
    I've used Firefox for the last 2 years on Android. In that time I've only had a couple of websites not work, probably because the Dev only tested with one browser. I've enjoyed browsing ad free and a couple of other features that Chrome didn't have at the time, like open tabs in the background when I click on links in other apps. If you're willing to give Firefox another chance, it's a good time to do so. They've put a lot of effort into performance in the last few releases.
    - majewsky 9y ago
      I'm also a regular Firefox-on-Android user, and the only thing I would criticize is that sometimes layouting of large sites gets the browser stuck for a few seconds (e.g. long HN threads with 100+ replies). I hope that gets better though when Stylo is enabled by default in a few versions.
  - pieter_mj 9y ago
    enabling protection from tracking and fingerprinting also speeds up browsing. kill 2 birds with one stone. as mentioned elsewhere in the comments, it's a good idea to set up the default browser in android to use the maximum of privacy and security settings together with the uBlock Origin addin. these urls provide some good starting points : https://www.linuxfestnorthwest.org/2017/sessions/security-and-privacy-settings-firefox-power-users https://www.linuxfestnorthwest.org/2017/sessions/security-an... https://www.privacy-handbuch.de/handbuch_21.htm https://www.privacy-handbuch.de/handbuch_21.htm the 2nd url is in german but it has great tips (spurenarm surfen = surf without leaving traces)
CodingGuy 9y ago
I've used Firefox mobile with ublock for over a year and have just recently switched to Brave. Just give it a try - it's worth it!
gcp 9y ago
Firefox for Android also has built-in tracking protection. This will only block ads that track you, but wink.
- 482794793792894 9y ago
  That's only default-enabled in Private Browsing, though. To enable it in normal browsing, set "privacy.trackingprotection.enabled" to true in about:config.
whoami_nr 9y ago
You could also try the Firefox Focus which comes with inbuilt adblocker and tracking protection. However, it doesn't support multiple tabs and you lose all data every time you close the application. It's perfect for one off browsing sessions where you just want to look something up.
- 482794793792894 9y ago
  Personally, I have it set as my default browser, so that any links that I click on in other applications open up in it and then I also have my full-blown Firefox installed for when I need to do actual browsing. Works out really well, as Focus starts up extremely quickly (uses the native Android Webview), and I usually don't need each and every link in my browsing history, and it also means that my proper Firefox doesn't get filled up with random tabs that I didn't close out of properly.
  - goutham2688 9y ago
    Dumb question, if Focus uses Android webview, Can google still track the webpages visited using focus. (i have clue on how the webview works)
    - zensavona 9y ago
      No :)
  - moosingin3space 9y ago
    Just did a scan of the Focus source and I don't see it using the native Android webview -- it appears to use Gecko.
- cyphar 9y ago
  Note that if you're using FDroid it's called "Firefox Klar" (the upstream Focus depends on proprietary Google stuff, while Klar works without it). Note though that it has telemetry features (which are off by default for the FDroid APK).
Markoff 9y ago
yeah, if you don't mind having by far the slowest browser around unable of such basic thing as pull down to refresh
TheAceOfHearts 9y ago
I did the same, along with switching over to DuckDuckGo. Mobile web works fine when you block all the crap.
ballenf 9y ago
I'm really surprised Google's lawyers let them proceed with ad-blocking given all the antitrust scrutiny. Not because it makes them more competitive with Firefox, but because it gives them a competitive advantage against other advertising agencies. (You know that if your ads are run through a Google service they're safe, but why risk using another service?) The fatal flaw in Google's approach is that they're primarily focused on visible ad features instead of privacy concerns. I'd rather have an internet full of flashing highway billboards than the current privacy nightmare of today. I'd be 1000x more inclined to turn off ad blocking if there was any transparency about the data being siphoned up. More ad blocking isn't the answer. More transparency around data collection is.
- Eridrus 9y ago
  > (You know that if your ads are run through a Google service they're safe, but why risk using another service?) From what I understand, the Ad Blocker will work on a per-site basis, rather than a per-ad basis, i.e. if you have bad ads on your site, all ads are blocked in Chrome, including Google Ads.

tdeck 9y ago

You can also use Brave, which is based on the Chrome codebase so scrolling and rendering are smoother. I love Firefox but I just couldn't hack it on mobile.

NTripleOne 9y ago
Yeah, firefox has been a pretty abysmal experience for me on android, it's slow, scrolling is janky, it crashes almost every time I try to use it... it's just been a bad experience all around.
- nindalf 9y ago
  I've used Firefox for the last 2 years on Android. In that time I've only had a couple of websites not work, probably because the Dev only tested with one browser. I've enjoyed browsing ad free and a couple of other features that Chrome didn't have at the time, like open tabs in the background when I click on links in other apps. If you're willing to give Firefox another chance, it's a good time to do so. They've put a lot of effort into performance in the last few releases.
  - majewsky 9y ago
    I'm also a regular Firefox-on-Android user, and the only thing I would criticize is that sometimes layouting of large sites gets the browser stuck for a few seconds (e.g. long HN threads with 100+ replies). I hope that gets better though when Stylo is enabled by default in a few versions.
- pieter_mj 9y ago
  enabling protection from tracking and fingerprinting also speeds up browsing. kill 2 birds with one stone. as mentioned elsewhere in the comments, it's a good idea to set up the default browser in android to use the maximum of privacy and security settings together with the uBlock Origin addin. these urls provide some good starting points : https://www.linuxfestnorthwest.org/2017/sessions/security-and-privacy-settings-firefox-power-users https://www.linuxfestnorthwest.org/2017/sessions/security-an... https://www.privacy-handbuch.de/handbuch_21.htm https://www.privacy-handbuch.de/handbuch_21.htm the 2nd url is in german but it has great tips (spurenarm surfen = surf without leaving traces)

CodingGuy 9y ago

I've used Firefox mobile with ublock for over a year and have just recently switched to Brave. Just give it a try - it's worth it!

gcp 9y ago

Firefox for Android also has built-in tracking protection. This will only block ads that track you, but wink.

482794793792894 9y ago
That's only default-enabled in Private Browsing, though. To enable it in normal browsing, set "privacy.trackingprotection.enabled" to true in about:config.

whoami_nr 9y ago

You could also try the Firefox Focus which comes with inbuilt adblocker and tracking protection. However, it doesn't support multiple tabs and you lose all data every time you close the application. It's perfect for one off browsing sessions where you just want to look something up.

482794793792894 9y ago
Personally, I have it set as my default browser, so that any links that I click on in other applications open up in it and then I also have my full-blown Firefox installed for when I need to do actual browsing. Works out really well, as Focus starts up extremely quickly (uses the native Android Webview), and I usually don't need each and every link in my browsing history, and it also means that my proper Firefox doesn't get filled up with random tabs that I didn't close out of properly.
- goutham2688 9y ago
  Dumb question, if Focus uses Android webview, Can google still track the webpages visited using focus. (i have clue on how the webview works)
  - zensavona 9y ago
    No :)
- moosingin3space 9y ago
  Just did a scan of the Focus source and I don't see it using the native Android webview -- it appears to use Gecko.
cyphar 9y ago
Note that if you're using FDroid it's called "Firefox Klar" (the upstream Focus depends on proprietary Google stuff, while Klar works without it). Note though that it has telemetry features (which are off by default for the FDroid APK).

Markoff 9y ago

yeah, if you don't mind having by far the slowest browser around unable of such basic thing as pull down to refresh

TheAceOfHearts 9y ago

I did the same, along with switching over to DuckDuckGo. Mobile web works fine when you block all the crap.

ballenf 9y ago

I'm really surprised Google's lawyers let them proceed with ad-blocking given all the antitrust scrutiny. Not because it makes them more competitive with Firefox, but because it gives them a competitive advantage against other advertising agencies. (You know that if your ads are run through a Google service they're safe, but why risk using another service?) The fatal flaw in Google's approach is that they're primarily focused on visible ad features instead of privacy concerns. I'd rather have an internet full of flashing highway billboards than the current privacy nightmare of today. I'd be 1000x more inclined to turn off ad blocking if there was any transparency about the data being siphoned up. More ad blocking isn't the answer. More transparency around data collection is.

Eridrus 9y ago
> (You know that if your ads are run through a Google service they're safe, but why risk using another service?) From what I understand, the Ad Blocker will work on a per-site basis, rather than a per-ad basis, i.e. if you have bad ads on your site, all ads are blocked in Chrome, including Google Ads.