Firefox for iOS is a great web browser to use on iPhone and iPad. It performs well, includes a nifty Night Mode, lets you easily block trackers, and syncs data across multiple platforms. But while most browsers on iOS are barebones at best, that’s not the case with Firefox.
If you’re still interested in the idea of using Firefox for iOS by default, you’re in luck. We share several Firefox tips and tricks for iOS that you can use to optimize your experience. Even if you have been using the browser for a while, you will still learn something new. So keep reading.
1. Fast Search Engines
Firefox for iOS allows you to add almost any search engine and make it the default (tap Search in Firefox Settings). So you can easily search using Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo or any other search engine.
But things get interesting here. Regardless of the search engine you set as the default, you can generate results from other search engines, provided it’s built into Firefox. And that without any extra touches.
Instead of tapping Go, tap the desired search engine icon at the top of the keyboard after typing your query. And that’s it!
2. Ambient Dark Theme
By now, you might have understood the nifty Night Mode, which you can easily toggle on or off via the Firefox menu. But did you know that you can also have a dark theme with it? Better still, can the theme turn itself on or off depending on ambient light levels?
Go to the Firefox Settings panel, tap Display, then Dark. This will darken the whole theme. Tap the toggle next to Automatically to automate the feature. Specify the brightness level you want it to automatically engage using the slider provided. And you are ready to go. Pretty cool, right?
It reminds you of the dark mode in Apple Books, which works the same way except for your lack of control.
3. Custom Homepage and New Tabs
Most major web browsers on iOS, such as Safari, Chrome or Edge, surprisingly do not allow you to create a customizable homepage. But not with Firefox.
Tap on the Home option in the Firefox Settings panel and you can configure the home page to show your bookmarks or history instead of the default Top Sites. Even better, you can add a link to a site – it will prompt the browser to load the site automatically every time you visit the Firefox homepage.
You can also do this to new tab pages – tap New Tab in Settings and it’s almost the same procedure.
4. Continuous Private Mode
Firefox has a nifty Private mode that you can turn on at any time to browse without saving your browsing activities. But it always returns to normal mode when you force close and restart the browser. Pretty annoying if you want to stick to Private mode all the time. Well, it doesn’t have to be like that.
Simply turn off the Close Private Tabs button in the Settings panel; You will remain in Custom mode unless you manually choose to return to normal mode.
5. Clear Certain Site Cookies
Firefox allows you to easily clear your browsing data (tap Data Management in Firefox Settings). But did you know that you can also do this for specific sites?
On the Data Management screen, tap Website Data; you can easily remove browsing data by site.
You no longer have to get rid of all your browsing data due to a certain site failure due to an outdated cache. Or if you forgot to use Private tabs!
6. Reorder Tabs
Do you have dozens of tabs open at any given time in Firefox? Usually a mess, right? Great news – you can give them a chance to organize. In the tab switcher, just drag to move them.
Better still, you can rearrange tabs on the iPad version, just like on the desktop. Once again, tap and hold a tab and drag it to where you want it on the tab bar.
7. Open with Siri
Do you love Siri? With Siri Shortcuts, you can always ask Firefox to open it for you. In the settings panel, tap on Siri Shortcut, record ‘Open New Tab’ when prompted and you’re ready.
For now, that’s all you can ask Siri to do for you. But more shortcuts may be added to Firefox in the future, so watch out for them.
8. Enable Firefox Widget
Don’t like chatting with Siri? Then the Firefox widget should prove to be a good alternative. On the far left Home screen, tap Edit and then enable Firefox. The widget has shortcuts to open both regular and Custom tabs, which is great.
If you have a link copied to the clipboard, the widget intelligently detects it and gives you the option to load it into Firefox.
9. Reader View
Have you ever wanted to be able to read long blog posts or articles without the extra clutter (ads, comments, sidebars, etc.)? Firefox has one of the best reading modes. To switch, simply tap the Reader View icon on pages that support the functionality.
The ability to easily change background colors (Light, Dark, and Sepia) and adjust screen brightness only sweetens the deal.
10. Secure Saved Logins
Worried about someone accessing your saved logins (usernames and passwords) while you’re not around? Create a passcode or enable Touch ID for an added layer of security.
In the Firefox Settings panel, tap Touch ID & Password and you can easily create a password. Then simply tap the switch next to Use Touch ID to add biometric security to the mix.
Currently Firefox does not support Face ID and we hope that same support can be added in future updates.
11. Download PDFs and Files Directly
Forget about opening PDFs before downloading. Instead, tap and hold a link, and then tap Download Link. This also applies to other files. You can even download entire web pages in HTML format, which is pretty cool.
Tapping the Download Link displays both the file and format the browser will download. This gives you ample time to cancel the download if it’s not what you really want.
12. Files Application Integration
Speaking of downloads, Firefox also has full integration with the Files app. This means you can easily access your downloaded files and share them even when you are not using the browser. In the Files app, tap on My iPad, then tap Firefox.
For more details on what you can do with your downloaded files, read our in-depth Files app guide.
13. Check Tabs on Other Devices
Firefox also lets you easily control (and even open) tabs on your other devices regardless of platform. To do this, tap Library in the Firefox menu, tap History, then Sync Devices.
14. Save Bandwidth
Running out of data on your cellular plan? The Hide Pictures option in the Firefox menu isn’t a useless option taking up space there. Open it and Firefox will not load any images. And no, it’s not just hiding pictures. It doesn’t download them in the first place, which means saved bandwidth.
15. Block More Ads
By now, you must have come across the Tracking Protection switch in the Firefox menu. But some ads still appear here and there, right? How about getting rid of them too? In the Firefox Settings panel, tap Tracking Protection and then Strict to do just that.
Note:
Surf Like a Pro
Most web browsers give up too easily on iOS. And for the most part, they are not criminals. Apple’s mobile platform is too restrictive for browser development. But not with the Firefox development team, because they have an answer for pretty much everything. Thanks Mozilla for going above and beyond!
Next up: Your Firefox Account contains highly sensitive information, including your browsing history and passwords. Click the link below to learn how to protect against unauthorized access.
