Five Firefox updates you might have missed, and a look ahead

Some of our latest Firefox updates have had big moments of their own, from the launch of our new design and built-in ad blocking on iOS to Firefox Enterprise and our partnership with NVIDIA GeForce NOW. You might’ve even spotted a few familiar internet OGs in our latest campaign. Other improvements might’ve flown under the radar until you open a PDF or move your tabs around.

We wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the features and improvements we’ve been working on, from recent additions you might have missed to a look at what’s coming next.

What’s new in Firefox

Open PDFs faster. Firefox’s built-in PDF viewer now starts up to 45% faster on desktop, so there’s less waiting when you open a document in your browser.
Put your Android tabs where you want them. Prefer your tabs at the bottom of the screen? You now have the option to move Firefox’s tab bar there. Go to Settings > Customize to choose.
Find your spot in a video faster. We’ve made it quicker to jump to a different point in a video on desktop, whether you’re skipping ahead in a tutorial or going back to catch something you missed.
Keep your favorite wallpapers handy. Firefox now saves a collection of your custom wallpapers under “Your images” on New Tab on desktop, so you can switch between favorites without uploading them again.
Save time filling out forms and keeping up with page changes. Smart Window can now help fill out online forms using information from your chosen tabs, so you don’t have to copy details back and forth. You can also ask it to watch a page and notify you when something changes, like a price drop or a new job listing, saving you from manually checking for updates. Both capabilities are available in English in the U.S. and Canada as part of the Smart Window beta. Learn more about the new features here.

What’s next on the Firefox roadmap

When we launched our public roadmap in June, we shared plans to make everyday browsing more useful, flexible and private. We’ve now updated it with more of what’s ahead. We’re developing these features in the open, in close partnership with our contributors, and will share more about release timing as each feature gets ready for more people to try.

Here’s a look at what’s in the works:

Keep what you need in view. We heard your request for a way to keep a page visible while browsing. Mini Window will let you pop a tab, or part of a page, into a small floating window, so recipes or instructions stay in view while you work in another tab.
Listen to pages. Give your eyes a break. Firefox will soon read articles and other web content aloud on desktop and Android, so you can listen while doing other things – even with your phone’s screen off.
Take your reading offline. No connection? No problem. Offline mode on Android will let you save articles ahead of time to read or listen to without internet access, perfect for flights and commutes with spotty service.
Turn speech into text on desktop. We’re bringing speech recognition to Firefox on desktop, so websites that use Firefox’s built-in capability can offer voice input and captions without sending your audio to a server. Those sites receive the text, while your audio stays on your device. After downloading the speech recognition model, transcription will work offline, too.
Choose how VPN works for each site. Since bringing free built-in VPN to Firefox on desktop and Android (iOS coming soon), we’re now adding the ability to set website rules so you can choose how VPN works on a site-by-site basis.
Clear browsing data directly from your toolbar. We’re bringing Private Window’s familiar button to Classic Window on desktop, so you can quickly choose what browsing data to delete without digging through settings.

Keep shaping Firefox with us

Try the latest updates and explore the Firefox roadmap for more of what we’re working on. If there’s something you’re looking forward to, or something you’d like us to improve, tell us on Mozilla Connect. Your feedback helps shape what comes next.

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