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Is your extension ready for Firefox for Android? Be part of the launch of a new open mobile ecosystem

12 responses

During the release cycle of Firefox 120, we’ll begin to see the emergence of dozens of new, openly available extensions on Firefox for Android on addons.mozilla.org (AMO). We’re taking a steady approach to opening up the mobile extension ecosystem to ensure Firefox for Android maintains strong performance standards while a vast new array of extensions are utilized for the first time in a mobile environment. If testing continues to progress well, we anticipate unveiling a fully open Firefox for Android extension ecosystem sometime in December. Stay tuned for details.

For developers interested in optimizing desktop extensions for Firefox for Android usage, now’s the perfect time to assess your extension and take necessary steps to make your extension part of the coming first wave of openly available extensions on Firefox for Android.

We anticipate strong interest from users excited to explore all the new ways they can customize Firefox for Android. Current trends indicate we’ll have at least 200+ new Firefox for Android extensions on AMO when open availability debuts in December. And while a couple hundred extensions is more variety than you’ll find on any other mobile browser, it is significantly fewer than the nearly 40,000 desktop Firefox extensions on AMO. So the opportunity for heightened discoverability with new users may be intriguing to some developers.

It’s also a great time for developers who are intrigued at the prospect of creating new ways Firefox for Android users will fundamentally experience the mobile web. Are there browsing problems unique to the mobile environment that web extensions can solve? How can we enhance mobile web experiences with extensions? How can extensions empower mobile users? It’s an open invitation to innovation.

For developers keen to learn more about making their desktop extensions compatible on Firefox for Android, here are some timely resources (in addition to Firefox Add-ons Discourse where you can hit us up anytime with questions)…

Webinar: Setup, testing, debugging 

Time: Wednesday, November 15 at 11am EDT

Senior Developer Relations Engineer Simeon Vincent will host his second webinar dedicated to Firefox for Android extension development and desktop migration. The November 15 session will focus on Firefox for Android development setup steps like getting started with Android Studio, creating a virtual device for QA and getting Firefox Nightly readied for remote debugging.

Register for the livestream!

Check out our first Firefox for Android webinar from October.

Open office hours 

Time: Every Monday, Tuesday

Simeon also hosts weekly open “office hours” for anyone interested in signing up to receive 1:1 guidance on Firefox for Android extension development. These open office hours are only scheduled to run through December, so don’t be shy to tap Simeon’s expertise as you prepare your extension for mobile release.

First 200 Firefox for Android extension developers (to email us) get a free t-shirt!

Sorry to bury the lede, but we’re also giving away this one of a kind “Early Add-opter” t-shirt to the first 200 developers who… 1) make their extension functional on Android; and 2) email us at firefox-android-addon-support [at] mozilla.com with a link to your extension’s AMO listing page. If your extension works as expected on Firefox for Android and you’re one of the first 200 to reach out we’ll be in touch with the t-shirt ordering details.

Can you imagine yourself wearing this t-shirt, just chilling after you’ve made your desktop extension compatible on Firefox for Android? 

12 comments on “Is your extension ready for Firefox for Android? Be part of the launch of a new open mobile ecosystem”

  1. Juraj wrote on

    OK, I’m not saying I’m doing it for the t-shirt, but..
    Let’s just say I have no longer a peaceful morning and I’ve just spend 30 minutes releasing new Android compatible version of my addon, hoping I’m not too late 😀

    1. Scott DeVaney wrote on

      Hah you’re not too late!

  2. Sören Hentzschel wrote on

    I would immediately port two of my add-ons for Android if the bookmarks API was supported on Android… But since it’s not possible, I guess no shirt for me… 😉

  3. Gerard wrote on

    Reminder: This isn’t new customization, this is going back to what was lost a couple years ago.

  4. Mojtaba wrote on

    Hello,
    I sent several mails to firefox-android-addon-support [at] mozilla.com
    but I don’t receive any reply.
    I sent a mail again today. Did you received it? I used email that filled in comment form.
    My Extension is ready for Android.
    Hoping I’m not too late 🙂
    Sincerely

    1. Edward Sullivan wrote on

      Hello. It is not too late, but I have not seen any emails come in from you.

      1. Mojtaba wrote on

        Thanks for your reply,
        Maybe my mails exist in spam folder?
        I sent my latest mail with different mail.
        I hope you received it, my Extension is Popup Blocker Ultimate.
        Sincerely

  5. Offerel wrote on

    Ii would love to migrate my extension to Firefox mobile, but unfortunately there is no bookmark api available, which is needed for main functionality.

    I have asked since years, for implanting the bookmark API also on Android, but there seems to be no way.

  6. zevel wrote on

    This is not “open” by a long shot.
    It is still a walled garden, just a slightly larger one.

    A truly open browser (or “ecosystem”) would allow the users to sideload *any* extension, not just curated ones.

    Like, for example, Kiwi browser.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a FF user since version 4 on the desktop.
    Currently using the developers edition, which allows me to run unsigned add-ons.

    But your mobile offering is… not “open”.

    1. Yuliana Azucena Garza Alanis wrote on

      Si

  7. FirefoxTelemetry wrote on

    Everyone should use Bromite or Chromite.

    – It does not phone home (Unlike Firefox)
    – It allows you disable JS per-site (Unlike Firefox)
    – It has AdblockPlus & UserScript functionality built-in (Unlike Firefox)
    – It disable multiple spyware from Google by default (Unlike Firefox)
    – It allows you install any search engine by default (Unlike Firefox)
    – It allows you use your browser without telemetry, but wait, ALL telemetry are ripped out (Unlike Firefox)

    Just try it. Firefox Android is no-go.

  8. Lanchon wrote on

    good news, i was about to switch browsers over this issue. let’s hope i can continue to use firefox. thanks!