When Mozilla launched a re-designed version of Firefox for Android a few years back, it only came with support for a few add-ons – just for the sake of compatibility. Fast forward to present day and the restoration of full add-on support is not yet complete. The good news, however, is that it’s possible to install any add-on in Firefox for Android via a workaround. We show you how.
Tip: Want to stay away from certain places online? Here’s how you can block a site using Mozilla Firefox.
Setting Up Firefox for Android
If you’re new to Firefox, you’ll need to:
- Download Firefox Beta for Android with version 107.0.b1 or later.
- Set up a Firefox account to sync your bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, and other data on any device with the Firefox browser.
- Sign up for the Add-ons website (AMO) with the same Firefox account.
When accessing the add-on website in Firefox on PC, you’ll be taken to the list of recommended extensions. Here you’ll notice that there’s no option to install any of the desktop-compatible add-ons on your Android device.
To go around this limitation, we’ll need to create a collection of your favorite add-ons on your PC and then import it into the Android version.
Create a Firefox Add-on Collection
- Head to the Firefox add-ons website and sign in with your Firefox account.
- Click your username in the screen’s upper-right corner and then “View My Collections.”
- Click “Create Collection.”
- Type in the name and brief description of the collection. Ideally, you should set a name with no numbers or spaces between them. Or, you can replace the space with a dash. “Custom URL” is a special link to that collection.
Note: All collections are public and can be viewed by anyone.
- Take note of the collection name and eight-digit number or ID shown in the address bar of the collection URL page. For example, this collection’s name is “Favorites,” and the eight-digit unique ID is “13590312.”
Good to know: Want to enjoy vertical tabs in your Firefox browser? Here’s how to switch from the classical look.
Enable Custom Add-on Collections in Firefox for Android
- Tap the Menu button and then “Settings.”
- Scroll down and tap “About Firefox Beta.”
- Tap on the Firefox logo five times. It will display a message that says, “Debug Menu Enabled.”
- When you return to the Settings screen, you’ll see a new option under the “Advanced” section called “Custom Add-on collection.”
- In the pop-up that appears enter “Collection Owner” (i.e., eight-digit unique ID) and “Collection name.”
- You’ll see a message “Add-on collection modified. Quitting the app to apply the changes.” The Firefox browser will close automatically.
- Open the browser again and tap on the menu button and then on the “Add-ons” option to see the extensions you’ve added to the collection via your PC. Here you can see the add-ons we’ve been using for many months.
- To install any extension, tap the “Plus (+)” button and then “Add.”
Note: Right now, you cannot sideload extensions from Bitbucket or GitHub.
Recommended Add-ons for Firefox Android
Now that we have created a collection, here is a list of tried and thoroughly tested add-ons you can install on Firefox browser for Android:
ClearURLs
ClearURLs automatically removes tracking elements from the URL and helps protect your privacy. The extension blocks hyperlink auditing (used by search engines like Google to track the links you clicked), as well as some common ad domains, and more. Now when you share a link to the Amazon product page with a friend, they’ll see them without any clutter.
Copy with Context
Copy with Context is a simple add-on that copies selected text, page title, and URL to the clipboard.
Cookie AutoDelete
Cookie AutoDelete works by exposing the cookies in a popup for you to manually take action. It can also automatically delete cookies from closed or discarded tabs, clear cookies and site data for a domain, add an exception list, and more.
SingleFile
SingleFile is a helpful extension to save an entire web page, including assets like images, styling, iframes, and more, as an HTML file. If you need to read long articles on the go, this add-on saves them offline. See our list of Android apps that work even without an Internet connection.
User Agent Switcher and Manager
User Agent Switcher and Manager enables you to spoof your browser’s “user-agent” string. It hides your browser’s fingerprint details and protects your privacy.
YouTube Audio
YouTube Audio disables video and streams audio from YouTube to save bandwidth and battery life. If you’re browsing using mobile internet, this extension will save your data.
Tip: Check out our guide on the best third-party YouTube apps to get more features.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many add-on collections does Firefox for Android support?
As of now, you can only import only one collection into Firefox for Android per session. On the bright side, you can create as many collections as you wish via the Firefox add-ons website. When you need an add-on from a different collection, just import that one into Firefox for Android.
Why doesn't Firefox for Android support all add-ons like on desktop?
It’s because of the nature of the Android ecosystem, limitations in APIs, lack of proper windowing environment, usability on smaller screens, and more. Despite this, there are still plenty of ways you can multi-task on Android and stay productive.
You can check out the detailed list of the WebExtensions APIs support for Android in the browser support for Javascript APIs page. For every feature implementation, you can track its status in different browsers and the version it supports.
Image credit: benzox via Freepik All screenshots by Rahul Saigal.
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