Mozilla Firefox is the second most used browser in the world on PCs after Chrome and it is also the oldest browser, after the dying Internet Explorer that sooner or later will be abandoned by Microsoft. Not everyone knows that Firefox can also be used on Android smartphones and tablets as an alternative to Chrome, providing some different options than the Google browser that not only could be appreciated by those who already use Firefox on the computer, but which can come in handy at some specific moments .
Installing Firefox on Android therefore becomes mandatory not only for the most loyal users, but also for those who use other browsers such as Chrome, to be able to take advantage of its special features when needed.
In particular, we see here the most important tricks to know when browsing with Firefox on Android and the most useful functions that make this browser different from Chrome and the others.
Many of these tricks are also available on Firefox for iPhone
1) Firefox searches on each site
While Chrome uses Google search by default, with Firefox it is possible to search from its wider address bar, not only on Google but also on other sites such as Bing, Amazon, Twitter, Wikipedia or any other, even on Navigaweb .net.
Any site opens, you can in fact touch and hold on its search bar to add it to the list of Firefox search engines.
After adding one or more, try searching for a word, touch the screen at the top to make the keyboard disappear and then press the icon one of the sites marked below to search not on Google but on the one chosen.
If you don't see the icon of a site we added, you can touch, always at the bottom of the screen with the search suggestions, the magnifying glass icon that opens the search engine options and allows you to order and choose them the default one.
1Bis) Search within the page
As in Chrome, Firefox is also very easy to search for a word inside an open web page.
This function is found by pressing the options button (the one with three dots at the top right) and selecting "find on page".
3) Save page as PDF or print it
In Firefox for Android you can quickly find the option to print a web page or to save it in PDF, which is very welcome and convenient especially when you want to save airline tickets or other documents, even if you are not at home or in the office.
This function is found from the main options menu, going to Page and then to Print or Save as PDF .
4) Offline reading of articles
One of the best tricks of Firefox on Android is the ability to save articles for offline reading, so you can then read or reread them calmly even without an internet connection.
To download a news article or (like this), you have to open it and then touch the book icon at the top of the address bar.
This converts the web page into reading mode, i.e. into a sheet written as if it were a Word document.
To save the article and be able to review it offline, you must then open the Firefox menu and add it to your favorites.
Saved articles will be found in the Bookmarks section in a special folder called Reading List .
5) Secure management of logins and passwords
Firefox includes a powerful manager for website access.
In essence, not only does it remember the logins and passwords used to access sites like Facebook or Gmail, but it encrypts the credentials and protects them, if you wish, behind a master password that becomes the only one to remember.
Then go to the main Firefox menu, open Settings> Privacy and activate the master password.
NOTE: Those who use Firefox also on PC will find the option to synchronize all browser data between phone and computer very convenient using the synchronization function.
This synchronization is found by pressing the options button, then in the Settings menu, by touching the Access button at the top.
This procedure has been much simplified compared to the past and you can read a guide on how to synchronize Firefox on PC and Android and iPhone mobile phones.
6) Use Firefox without traces
Firefox has numerous options for navigating without leaving a trace in the history and memory of websites.
First of all you can use the classic anonymous navigation from the main menu.
Going to the main menu in Settings> Privacy you can then use the following privacy options:
- Activate the anti-tracking of sites always and not only when using anonymous browsing
- Delete personal data when closing Firefox when you press the Exit button in the main menu.
- Do not restore the tabs left open when Firefox reopened (this option is in Settings> Advanced).
In addition, from the menu, by going to Tools, you can start guest browsing, which restarts the browser without letting you view the history and bookmarks of the owner of the phone or tablet.
It is no coincidence that on Google Play the name of the Firefox app is " the reserved browser ".
7) Better download management
While Chrome doesn't have a download manager of its own, Firefox organizes them into a dedicated section which is found by going to the Tools menu from the main menu.
8) Firefox extensions
The best feature of Firefox on Android are extensions, which are not yet supported in Chrome for mobile.
In another article I had collected the best extensions for Firefox on Android
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