Mozilla rolls out Firefox 81 on Android with a Downloads page, auto-tab closing, and more

Mozilla rolled out Firefox 79 for Android with a boatload of changes towards the end of July this year. But the update wasn’t well-received, as it was missing some crucial features that were previously supported on the browser. Mozilla then released Firefox 80 earlier this month, which brought back some of the missing features. And now, the company is rolling out Firefox 81 with a few more additions.

As per a recent report from Android Police, Firefox 81 is now rolling out to users via the Play Store. It packs in some notable changes, including an in-browser Downloads page. The new in-browser Downloads page ensures that you don’t have to open your phone’s file manager to access downloaded files. On top of that, the update brings back support for third-party download manager apps.

Additionally, the update includes a new ‘Open in app’ menu option for sites with a currently installed native Android app and the ability to close tabs automatically after a set period of time. The browser now also automatically selects the search/address bar whenever you open a new tab. Furthermore, Firefox 81 now uses Google’s new in-app review API to ask users to give Firefox a rating on the Play Store.

While it’s great to see the new codebase expanding despite Mozilla’s recent downsizing, Firefox on Android still doesn’t offer support for several third-party extensions. The report also notes that even though Mozilla promised that it would add an option to install all extensions in a nightly version of the browser sometime this month, there doesn’t seem to be much progress on that front in the public tracking page.

For a full list of changes in the Firefox 81 for Android update, check the changelog section below. As mentioned earlier, the update has already started rolling out to users via the Play Store, and you can download it from the link below. In case the update isn’t available for you, you can also download the latest APK from APKMirror.

Changelog

Top sites from frequently opened sites, and setting to toggle top sides, swipeable Top Sites carousel
New search experience
Find my downloaded files in the browser
External Download Manager
Download improvements
Select from multiple logins for a website for autofill
Close tabs automatically after a certain amount of time passed
Open in App contextual hint
Disable autocomplete
Surface notification controls in Firefox settings
In-app review prompt
Unlock previously set Primary Password, if set