Chrome for Android doesn't have extensions, but Edge now has a whole store
36 comments
·March 14, 202513rac1
Firefox for Android also supports extensions, including uBlock Origin: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin...
sva_
I recently found out that on Firefox Android you can install an extension from file by activating developer options. This allows you to install Bypass Paywalls Clean even though Mozilla sadly pulled it from the extension store.
lxgr
I really wish it would support them for iOS as well.
It’s very hard given the constraints, but apparently not impossible, since Orion manages to run at least some web extensions.
CryptoBanker
Kagi browser on iOS somehow supports both Firefox and Chrome extensions
inquirerGeneral
[dead]
lxgr
> Extensions are great for adding a tiny bit of functionality to a browsing experience without dedicating an entire app to run in the background.
And a great way to give permission to read and modify all websites you visit to something that should really better be an isolated application.
I would really not consider web extensions an alternative to standalone apps. In my security model, they inhabit the opposite corner.
> some users like to use VPNs securely tied in from the browser itself rather than running the full-scale app
This might be a mistake, for example. A VPN app runs sandboxed on mobile OSes (and many VPN types are supported by OSes natively so there's no need for an app in the first place), so it can't get access to website data (if HTTPS is used), whereas a web extension usually can.
chasil
The moment that I see Edge in F-Droid, I will install it.
That would require a submission of all of the source code, so I assume this will never happen.
I would consider Edge if it showed up in FFUpdater. I don't see it there either.
real0mar
Ok
account-5
I'll be sticking with Firefox, it has extensions and is not owned by an advertising company.
throw738487748
Technically Mozilla is advertising company, they made a few acquisitions and have usual mission statement on website: "Mozilla is redefining digital advertising..."
But you could argue they can make more money by selling information you upload through Firefox. They have permission to sell EVERYTHING!!!
CharlesW
~75% of Mozilla revenue comes from Google. Edge would be a much safer bet if you don't want a browser funded primarily with ad dollars.
lxgr
Have you used Edge? It had clippable discount coupons built-in the last time I did. No thanks.
bmacho
I am using Edge. I don't see any discount coupons. I must have clicked a "no ads pls" buttons somewhere, but now it's good.
Speaking of adware and spyware, doesn't Firefox still have Google as its default search website? They are not Google, but literally selling you to Google, that's like even worse?
heraldgeezer
Ever opened a default install of Edge? Shows MSN news, ads, ads posing as news articles, built-in shopping discount coupons etc.
Yes you can turn all this off, but in default mode it is maddening.
hoistbypetard
Holy hell. I just opened one because I got a bug report about a page I maintain, and it was absolutely staggering.
Had I not needed to specifically test Edge on Windows 11, I'd have just pressed and held the power button, then wiped the disk and installed something else if I'd encountered that experience on something I purchased to use for some non-browser-testing productive purpose.
The funny thing is Chrome is actually made by an advertising company, and it's significantly less aggravating, somehow.
datavirtue
The productivity loss alone is staggering.
oefnak
That's insane. Edge is one big ad. Have you even ever opened it? Their home page is a tabloid.
CharlesW
Fair enough, but only ~5% of Microsoft revenue comes from ad dollars. It's not clear to me why I should switch to a browser which is funded primarily with ad money vs. just turning off the Edge features I don't like. (FWIW, I used Firefox for many years, and my daily driver is currently Chrome.)
bmacho
It is configurable, my Edge home page is just a search bar + the weather.
datavirtue
LMAO!!!
neilv
It's like being an unwitting member of a death cult, but your moment of clarity comes when the refreshments table doesn't have blueberry-flavored punch. So you flee... right into the welcoming tentacles of the more appealing death cult next door.
newaccountlol
No adblockers though. Edge for mobile does have a built-in adblocker, but there is no customizable blocklists or transparency on what is being blocked, so Microsoft could give blocklist exemptions to their own ad service while blocking Google's, for example.
liviux
Went to kiwi browser on my android phone and tablets, never looked back.
myko
Vivaldi here
on Desktop as well
gruez
Apparently it got discontinued, because extension support got merged to edge?
https://old.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1i86ybn/kiwi_brows...
datavirtue
I looked up kiwi browser on Play Store...they do not want you to do that. Kiwi is buried down the list below Edge, and they try to sell you Firefox.
heraldgeezer
Good for work with Office 365 and all.
But Firefox Nightly (has tabbed interface on tablet) + ublock origin is the best experience on an Android phone/tablet IMO. Not as fast as Chromium based browsers, but it is worth it for adblocking, block autoplay, extensions for youtube etc.
josefritzishere
They don't want us to block ads? Shocking.
cft
Are they also banning uBlock v2 though?
modzu
how the hell does anyone use a browser on their phone without a bottom address bar (a la firefox)? do i just have tiny hands??
ewoodrich
Personally I’ve used a Magsafe Pop Socket style grip for the last 5 years so my thumb naturally hovers over the center of the screen. Ergonomics of phones sucked in general for me as screens got bigger and bigger until I started using it.
Microsoft edge's latest build version 134.0.3124.57, just added a whole new web-store for Android user unlike google. Extensions are great for adding a tiny bit of functionality to a browsing experience without dedicating an entire app to run in the background. For instance, some users like to use VPNs securely tied in from the browser itself rather than running the full-scale app.