Mozilla has announced the latest version of Firefox, sporting a new look and improved user experience.
Once the second most popular browser, Firefox is now a distant third, behind Google Chrome and Apple Safari. Microsoft Edge is in fourth place, nipping at its heals. Mozilla has been working to reverse its fortunes in an effort to regain market share.
As part of that effort, the company has released the latest update, a major overhaul of the user experience. According to the company, it analyzed more than 17 billion clicks to better determine how to streamline the browsing experience.
Going into the Firefox redesign, our team studied how people interact with the browser, observing their patterns and behaviors. We listened to feedback and gathered ideas from regular people who just want to have an easier experience on the web. We obsessed over distractions, extra clicks and wasted time. The resulting new design is simple, modern and fast and delivers a beautiful experience to support what people do most in Firefox.
One of the most visible changes is a redesigned tab bar, more rounded and floating above the toolbar. The new update also includes new icons, crisp typography, streamlined menus and improved spacing in the UI.
Privacy features also received a major boost, building on Firefox’s already stellar reputation in that area.
All browsers have a private browsing mode, but none match Firefox. The popular Total Cookie Protection moves from the optional strict setting to always-on in private browsing. This feature maintains a separate “cookie jar” for each website you visit while browsing privately. Any time a site deposits a cookie, Firefox locks it up in its own cookie jar so that it can’t be shared with any other website.
The new version is available for all major platforms, including desktop and mobile.