Focus (for Android) doesn't use Google analytics directly, but it's an indirect dependency - see below.
Focus does have:
- Mozilla telemetry: enabled by default in Focus, disabled by default in Klar. This only sends data to Mozilla servers, and only concerns what features people use (i.e. do people use share, do people use custom tabs, do people clear using the bin button or the notification). This stuff is used for deciding what features to prioritise (or remove), and doesn't involve Google servers.
- Adjust SDK: an install attribution tool (aka install referrer tracking). This is only used to determine whether the app was installed as the result of a specific (google-hosted) ad campaign. Adjust depends on play-services-analytics. ( https://www.adjust.com/glossary/install-referrer/ ). This only comes into play if you install the app from the play store (which funnily enough Google own). This is the only time play-services-analytics shuld be used, i.e. on first install. This is also disabled in Klar.
(The more interesting question is: could Focus receive the INSTALL_REFERRER itself for ads attribution instead of using Adjust? That data might be meaningless without asking google to tell you where it came from, and they provided it in the first place anyway...)
I'm relatively uninformed here, but Google often requires Android app developers to bundle Google Play Services for various features like Chromecast[1]. It is possible that the Mozilla folks needed Google Play Services for some feature.
You can disable it in the settings, and you can install Firefox Klar (the exact same code, but made for more privacy-consious countries) from FDroid[1] which has everything disabled by default.
I think I'm only surprised to see this comment and not that Firefox bundled analytics into their app. What's controversial about anonymized usage statistics in 2017?
Historically, even though GA was part of GMS, it did not require GMS to operate. You might be OK without GMS ... but things may have changed since the addition of firebase.
Have been using this a while, it's really nice as the default browser to open links in. Having the floating button to clear everything is neat and I like the UI desing. It's also really fast.
I'd like to see better support for getting SSL/TLS info - why can't I tap on the padlock and get the certificate info (EV, OV, DV?), cipher suite, HSTS etc?
This is useful to use as your default browser. It has a quick way to open the same link in another browser, so you can use it as a sort of quarantine to vet unknown links before exposing your main browser and all its juicy user data to a new website.
How is this news ? I installed it weeks ago on my IPhone. I don't understand why Mozilla just announced it now. Maybe it's a new version.
On the browser itself, I launched it, navigate on a URI, closed it, relaunched it, type the firsts characters of my previous URI and it auto completed it. From my history I guess.
So it's not like incognito mode on other browsers. (Haven't retested again)
I wish open source projects publish the compiled .apk file not just the source code.
If I want to install this on my Fire HD I either have to download the .apk from some dodgy mirror site or install Google Play with some workaround on the Fire HD. Cause Firefox Focus is not available in the Amazon App Store. I mean yeah I can do both in the end, not a big deal, but I just want the .apk nothing else.
At least there is Yalp Store now [1]. But I agree it would be nice if more oss projects would provide the apk directly (or even better prepare the project for easy F-Droid inclusion).
The purpose is to be used for quick browsing, like Google Searches, without worrying with trackers and someone getting your history.
You can always use incognito mode, but this is more convenient.
It is also really fast and lightweight, which is a plus for most mobile devices.
It is not meant to replace your main browser (probably).
Also, as rcthompson said in another comment:
> This is useful to use as your default browser. It has a quick way to open the same link in another browser, so you can use it as a sort of quarantine to vet unknown links before exposing your main browser and all its juicy user data to a new website.
The features you explained are exactly what I was looking for in a mobile browser. In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too.
Since I started using Firefox Focus for one-off searches, I'm surprised at how infrequently I really need to be logged into any websites to complete my task. Nice that Focus simply clears all those trackers and search history when I close it.
I'm wondering why this is not a simple setting on firefox. Are they trying to collect data on how many people have interest in privacy or something ? (another comment pointed that Firefox focus tracks users and reports to mozilla)
This would have been perfect for iPad 2's and 3's on which Safari and the normal Firefox keep crashing under the weight of the current bloated web.
But alas, the "simple and lightweight" Firefox Focus actually requires a heavyweight 64-bit processor:
> Why aren't older Apple products supported? Safari Content Blockers (which include Firefox Focus) are only available on devices with an A7 processor (64-bit) or later. Only 64-bit processors can handle the extra load of content blocking, which insures optimal performance. For example, since the iPad 3 has an A5 processor, Firefox Focus is incompatible.[1]
Come on, iPad 2's and 3's are less than 5 years old. There has to be some way to keep the iPad 2 or 3 alive if all you want to do browse the web.
> For example, if you need to jump on the internet to look up Muddy Waters’ real name
Best idea ever. That's the most common use case people have and one that's drastically underserved by current browsers.
If people can't get their browser to quickly open a link to simple stuff, it means the web is failing. If the web is failing they'll quickly jump over to sending images over WhatsApp or fall into the trap of using the Facebook app for all their needs that could be otherwise served by the web.
I love Focus. I wrote about it here[1], albeit poorly, but it just made me so happy to be able to use my phone again for web browsing. Sometimes I open Chrome and the tab that loads was something I was testing weeks prior... it's taken that big of a backseat to Firefox Focus.
I have been using this for a while on one of my phones (OnePlus 5, newest version of OxygenOS) and am fairly satisfied with its overall performance. It works seamlessly for casual browsing - i.e. opening pages from Reddit or similar. I however cannot help but feel as if the standard version with appropriate extensions (i.e. Disconnect, uBlock Origin and thus forth) remains a better alternative than Focus in solving the very issues Focus seeks to accommodate. I do very much love how closing the browser erases everything though. It is worth mentioning that the ability to install extensions is exclusive to Android for now, so Firefox Focus has become my go-to-browser for my iOS devices. If you have Android the above is worth considering though!
I love Focus and now use it for almost all of my mobile googling. One thing that would be nice is a share extension, so that when I'm in Safari and see a link I want to open I can share it to Firefox Focus. Right now I have to "share" it to [copy], open Focus, and paste it in. Not a huge hassle, but would be nice to streamline.
I've been using it as my default browser for Android for a while and I like it. The only thing I don't love is the notification saying the browser is open, it triggers my "OCD" . I understand why it's there but I wish there was some way around it.
> The only thing I don't love is the notification saying the browser is open, it triggers my "OCD" .
Why not just turn off notifications for Firefox Focus? At least on Samsung-skinned Marshmallow, that seems to do the trick.
(Grumble grumble, but it still reminds me that I'm running in power-saving mode, which is a vital notification that only applies whenever the phone's on. Thanks, Samsung!)
[+] [-] progval|8 years ago|reply
[1]: https://gitlab.com/fdroid/rfp/issues/171#note_30410376
[+] [-] mozoldie|8 years ago|reply
Focus does have:
- Mozilla telemetry: enabled by default in Focus, disabled by default in Klar. This only sends data to Mozilla servers, and only concerns what features people use (i.e. do people use share, do people use custom tabs, do people clear using the bin button or the notification). This stuff is used for deciding what features to prioritise (or remove), and doesn't involve Google servers.
- Adjust SDK: an install attribution tool (aka install referrer tracking). This is only used to determine whether the app was installed as the result of a specific (google-hosted) ad campaign. Adjust depends on play-services-analytics. ( https://www.adjust.com/glossary/install-referrer/ ). This only comes into play if you install the app from the play store (which funnily enough Google own). This is the only time play-services-analytics shuld be used, i.e. on first install. This is also disabled in Klar.
(The more interesting question is: could Focus receive the INSTALL_REFERRER itself for ads attribution instead of using Adjust? That data might be meaningless without asking google to tell you where it came from, and they provided it in the first place anyway...)
[+] [-] eli|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jamesmishra|8 years ago|reply
[1]: https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/android_sender_setup
[+] [-] cyphar|8 years ago|reply
[1]: https://f-droid.org/packages/org.mozilla.klar/
[+] [-] lol768|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chairmanwow|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clumsysmurf|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Froyoh|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] justinzollars|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clumsysmurf|8 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] lol768|8 years ago|reply
I'd like to see better support for getting SSL/TLS info - why can't I tap on the padlock and get the certificate info (EV, OV, DV?), cipher suite, HSTS etc?
[+] [-] hprotagonist|8 years ago|reply
- Firefox Focus, which blocks all sorts of stuff
- 1Blocker, which blocks all sorts of stuff
- Unobstruct, which blocks Medium's "dickbar" popups.
[+] [-] rcthompson|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Xoros|8 years ago|reply
On the browser itself, I launched it, navigate on a URI, closed it, relaunched it, type the firsts characters of my previous URI and it auto completed it. From my history I guess.
So it's not like incognito mode on other browsers. (Haven't retested again)
[+] [-] ghh|8 years ago|reply
- Erase your history.
- Go to HN, click any link you haven't clicked before.
- Wait for it to load.
- Erase your history. Make sure you see the notification "Your browsing history has been erased".
- Go to HN again, and see the link you've just clicked still highlighted as 'visited'.
[+] [-] bdz|8 years ago|reply
If I want to install this on my Fire HD I either have to download the .apk from some dodgy mirror site or install Google Play with some workaround on the Fire HD. Cause Firefox Focus is not available in the Amazon App Store. I mean yeah I can do both in the end, not a big deal, but I just want the .apk nothing else.
[+] [-] AaronMT|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zserge|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] catdog|8 years ago|reply
[1] https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/
[+] [-] zeppelin101|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yjftsjthsd-h|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] geokon|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chrisper|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SubiculumCode|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nkkollaw|8 years ago|reply
If I want to check Hacker News let's say 5 times throughout the day and feel like leaving a comment, I have to login again, without autocomplete..?
Maybe I'm missing something.
[+] [-] feikname|8 years ago|reply
You can always use incognito mode, but this is more convenient.
It is also really fast and lightweight, which is a plus for most mobile devices.
It is not meant to replace your main browser (probably).
Also, as rcthompson said in another comment:
> This is useful to use as your default browser. It has a quick way to open the same link in another browser, so you can use it as a sort of quarantine to vet unknown links before exposing your main browser and all its juicy user data to a new website.
[+] [-] trendroid|8 years ago|reply
The features you explained are exactly what I was looking for in a mobile browser. In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too.
[+] [-] fiatjaf|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aembleton|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] acdha|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cpeterso|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bigbugbag|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] computator|8 years ago|reply
But alas, the "simple and lightweight" Firefox Focus actually requires a heavyweight 64-bit processor:
> Why aren't older Apple products supported? Safari Content Blockers (which include Firefox Focus) are only available on devices with an A7 processor (64-bit) or later. Only 64-bit processors can handle the extra load of content blocking, which insures optimal performance. For example, since the iPad 3 has an A5 processor, Firefox Focus is incompatible.[1]
Come on, iPad 2's and 3's are less than 5 years old. There has to be some way to keep the iPad 2 or 3 alive if all you want to do browse the web.
[1] https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/focus
[+] [-] fiatjaf|8 years ago|reply
Best idea ever. That's the most common use case people have and one that's drastically underserved by current browsers.
If people can't get their browser to quickly open a link to simple stuff, it means the web is failing. If the web is failing they'll quickly jump over to sending images over WhatsApp or fall into the trap of using the Facebook app for all their needs that could be otherwise served by the web.
[+] [-] webdevatwork|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ukyrgf|8 years ago|reply
[1]: https://epatr.com/blog/2017/firefox-focus/
[+] [-] byproxy|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] x775|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] st0le|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gnicholas|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] noncoml|8 years ago|reply
Can we have something similar for desktop as well?
[+] [-] api_or_ipa|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wnevets|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] JadeNB|8 years ago|reply
Why not just turn off notifications for Firefox Focus? At least on Samsung-skinned Marshmallow, that seems to do the trick.
(Grumble grumble, but it still reminds me that I'm running in power-saving mode, which is a vital notification that only applies whenever the phone's on. Thanks, Samsung!)