I GENUINELY want to use Firefox, or at least give it another shot, but as a Microsoft Edge user as of 4 years ago when they really started refining features like vertical tabs and the overall experience, I jumped ship. Donāt get me wrong, I like Firefox and will use itā¦but until it gets these features, itāll remain as a secondary platform. I just canāt make the switch as of now with the drop in usability it would bring. This is NOT a complaint against Mozilla or anything of the sort, more or less a āplease notify me when Firefox gets theseā or something like that.
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Address bar tab switching on iOS: Safari did it best, but Chrome, Brave, and MS Edge have this, and supposedly Firefox on Android does as well. For whatever reason though, even after update 141 with the major visual overhaul, Firefox on iOS still lacks the ability to switch tabs by swiping on the address bar. This is an ESSENTIAL for multitasking, especially considering how (visually nice, but) slow the animations are for viewing tabs.
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Actual, NATIVE PWA support on desktop: No, the addon doesnāt count, Iāve had limited success using it across different operating systems. Supposedly at least an alpha version of this feature exists under the name ābrowser tabsā or something of the sort, likely in the Firefox Nightly builds or something, but I would greatly prefer a native version to the likes of Chromium-based browsers.
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Native split-screen: Okay, this one Iām okay with in the current state with the addon, but having it natively built into Firefox would be nice with all the potential refinements and all it could bring.
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FULLY collapsible vertical tabs sidebar (and maybe separate from the actual BROWSER sidebar): Okay, not ESSENTIAL, and I know Firefox just recently got vertical tabs (I was one of the first to try it out with Nightly, just as I will be when Chromium does like how they quietly added split screen via a flag), but currently the address bar can auto-hide in full screen. The vertical tabs sidebar? You either have to deal with it permanently visible or entirely GONE unless you click the button for it. Itād be nice to have the option for the sidebar to autohide with the address bar, and even more if the vertical tabs bar was separate from the browserās sidebar so both could theoretically be active.
Thatās all. Again, massive respect to the Firefox developers, Iām just afraid I canāt quite switch to it as my daily driverā¦ yet. Once these features are added though, please, by all means, let me know!
#1 is implemented on Android, interesting that itās not on iOS.
I have 3 and 4 on Zen browser. I know many people are not interested in the forks, I just think itās worth knowing.
I was fully unaware of the tab swiping feature on android, and Iāve been using firefox forever. Thatās so useful, oh my god.
yeah, I forget it myself all the time
Oh yeah, and there are so many great ways they could implement it, too. I know you said youāre on Android so this is FUNCTIONALLY irrelevant for you, but when you get a chance, check out a video on how Safari handles this on iOS. Legitimately the BEST navigation of mobile browsers, hands-down.
Itās slick and elegant, well-animated, snappy, and functional all in one. You can swipe up on the navigation bar to see all your tabs, then your tab groups are all available via a bar at the bottom to switch between quickly, and if you swipe all the way to the end of your tabs and swipe again, it automatically creates a new one for you. This, and a handful of other cool things, make it legitimately almost convincing enough for me to use Safari just on iOS and set up some complicated syncing method for my desktop and Android browsers, if it only supported extensions. (Orion does all of this + extensions as well and could become a viable alternative once it gets more platforms, if they can get a better implementation of vertical tabs on desktop.)
Iām totally open to Firefox forks, and Zenās great. Problem is, that doesnāt fix the Firefox MOBILE issueā¦ no matter how great the desktop client is, if I canāt tab swipe, Iād be using two different browsers anyway. And sure, Zen uses Firefox sync so a theoretical Zen iOS app with tab swiping would fix the issue, but said iOS app doesnāt exist (yet).
Thankfully, Mozilla said theyāre looking into tab swiping on iOS, so hopefully it gets added sooner than laterā¦ hence why this post is called āNotify me whenā¦ā https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/swipe-between-open-tabs-on-ios/idi-p/2088
Yeah, itās a weird feature parity miss from Android thatās not related to not being able to have their own engine. I hope it gets implemented soon.
I use zen on desktop and firefox on mobile, everything is synced so itās seamless. You donāt lose Mozilla sync by switching to Zen. You donāt get Mozillaās sync on iOS?
Sorry, thatās on me for not clarifying well enough in my wording. What I mean is that:
- Yes, Firefox sync on iOS DOES work with Zen on desktop, so I could use it even without a dedicated Zen app on iOS.
- I DONāT use Firefox on iOS due to the lack of tab swiping, a major dealbreaker.
- Iād otherwise be fine with using Zen on my computer and Firefox with sync on my phone.
ah, got it
- Works on Android, and I love it
- I solve this with pinned tabs on desktop, I donāt need it on my phone
- Whatās the purpose? Why not just put windows side-by-side; Windows and Linux desktops have shortcuts, and I think macOS does too (I use Rectangle on my work mac instead)
- Thatās odd, because horizontal tabs hide w/ full screen
I hope this helps!
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Good to know, at least there is hope for iOS. I absolutely love this feature, especially the way itās implemented with Safari on iOS where you can swipe up to view all tabs, as well as swipe left on your last tab to create a new one.
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More or less a convenience thing. It works on my phone, but itās absent on desktop and makes the experience just a bit more inconvenient. we already suffer from not having true APPS like Netflix or YouTube on most desktop OS, but PWAs at least can lighten that. (And yes, I can use quick launchers like Spotlight, Raycast, Powertoys Command Pallete, Krunner, etc., but thatās still not anywhere near as convenient. Iām literally the dude who made a Launchpad remake for macOS Tahoe; of course I know ābetterā methods exist, but things like this can still be nice to have IMO.)
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As I said to someone else, āBuilt-in browser splitscreen in a browser that handles it well is genuinely game-changing. You can do things like link the Split View (links you click on one side open in the other; excellent for reviews and information gathering), quick window resizing, all your typical tab grouping and collections, and more ā all without having to open another window instance.ā And yes, I use macOS (also with Rectangle), Windows, and Linux, and still have this sentiment.
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I know, right? I think itās a WIP thing. At least, I hope it is, as the address bar ALSO hides in vertical tab mode if I use true fullscreen, but the sidebar doesnāt. I could be wrong, but I think this is also ONLY the case if vertical tabs are enabled, not just for the usual sidebar with horizontal tabs, but donāt quote me on that.
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for number 4, I use the tree-style-tabs addon and some custom userchrome css to get that and it works great. I have it set so that when you hover over the 4-pixel wide sliver that I leave visible (could make it transparent, I just appreciate the reminder that itās there), it pops out to be 260 pixels wide. I wish it wouldnāt need that level of customization, but it does work.
Follow-up: What exactly do you like about tree-style tabs? Iāve not really looked into them before, and even in all my tech-ness (I taught myself macOS, Windows, Linux, and programs like GIMP, Darktable, Inkscape, and a good amount of DaVinci Resolve, for reference)ā¦ the two times I tried Vivaldi, I couldnāt quite get it. I mean, it visually makes sense, but why? What are your thoughts as opposed to just tab groups and a single column or row as most browsers do things?
I actually donāt use the ātreeā part of it at all. I donāt get it either. It just happens to be easier to wrangle into what I want than other options like sideberry.
Ahh, okay, fair enough. That stinks, though I do feel slightly better knowing that it isnāt some major feature Iāve just been ignoring. Not that there ISNāT probably some benefit to it, but itās just not for me, and Iāve not met anyone so far who prefers themā¦ but then again, I am also THE tech for literally everyone I know š
Very cool. Always loved the extent of customization available on Firefox desktop. For me, the current implementation of Firefoxās vertical tabs is āfineā for now, but even Braveās ultra-basic version of the feature still does it more in line with MS Edge (who does it best, IMO). Iād look into something like this for myself if the iOS app tab swiping got implemented and Zen didnāt handle things better than vanilla Firefox, though. Keep up the great customization work!
Agree on native PWA. I use the add-on, an its very rough around the edges. Chrome was so much simpler.
What do you mean by native split screen?
By ānative split screenā, I simply mean the ability to display multiple windows side-by-side or on top of each other (or in other arrangements with multiple windows) within a single browser tab or window instance. I think Arc has the best implementation of this feature, but MS Edge is not far behind with the basic ability of horizontal and/or vertical Split View, plus a possible third view with the sidebar since it is distinct from vertical tabs.
Firefoxās implementation, last time I checked, still required the sidebar extension and only allowed two tabs side-by-side. Itās a start, but even vanilla Chromium has that much now and itās built in with a flag rather than being an extension. Not to mention, again, if the vertical tabs were separate from the sidebar, you could still use separate sidebar extensions more easily and all.
So, the window is fullscreen, but you can tile the tabs within the window itself? I think Iād personally prefer to lean on the OSās window management, but given how shit that can be (macOS), I think I can see the value there? Might have to try it to see what its all about.
Itās definitely worth a shot. Again, Arc probably has the best implementation of this feature, and is worth trying out if only to understand what I mean. MS Edgeās variation is better than basically everything else thatās not Arc in my testing, and Zen might also have a variation of this but I hadnāt used it in a while.
Built-in browser splitscreen in a browser that handles it well is genuinely game-changing. You can do things like link the Split View (links you click on one side open in the other; excellent for reviews and information gathering), quick window resizing, all your typical tab grouping and collections, and more ā all without having to open another window instance.
P.S. macOS window management is certainly not its strong suit, but with the right programs and tweaks, itās not half bad either :)
Had a quick play with Arc, and also Zen, and I can see the allure. Its definitely nice. I think Arc is still the nicer version, but given its login only nonsense, Iām a bit turned off that. Might keep trailing zen for a bit though.
Please share the macos programs and tweaks, its been quite a disappointment so far. To its credit, the workspaces is pretty nice, but the rest of the window management leaves a lot to be desired.
Just to make things simple regarding the Mac apps and tweaks, imma just go ahead and forward my āMac app recommendation suite.ā of course, not everyone needs all of these apps, and this isnāt over every use case, but this is just about every program I have on my system. You can check these out and determine if anything sounds like it could be beneficial for you. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pSsLcM4lVnqGt68yu-GgKFApOJBv2aIzMmUs_8iT_2c/edit?usp=drivesdk
Now then, specifically regarding window management and multitasking, I have a few key tips:
- Learn to utilize the App Expose, Mission Control, and true full screen app switching. macOS inheritly handles things differently from other Operating Systems. The sooner you get a grasp on that, the sooner you may start to appreciate it, or determine what other apps and programs you may want to add with it. Donāt start just adding a bunch of apps and programs before you determine what all you need. For most people, just this and macOSās built in tiling is enoughā¦ but from the looks of things, you and I would not be āmost people,ā so if you would agree, read along.
- If youāre on a trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can enable and configure the settings easily within the System Settings application, and Iād argue macOS has the best trackpad experience in these regards.
- If youāre on a non-Magic Mouse, get an app like Mac Mouse Fix. It is absolutely amazing and legitimately has become part of my essential application suite anytime I use a non-magic mouse. You can download the latest 2.x version on the developerās GitHub (which yes, does work on Tahoe) to use it free forever, configure individual app settings for things like smooth scrolling, and my personal recommendation: Map the multitasking features with extra buttons on your mouse and/or gestures. Previously, I couldnāt use any regular mouse with macOS as it felt clunky and cumbersome, but now Iām just as eager to use one as I am my trackpad, and I donāt miss the Magic Mouse one bit.
- Set apps to minimize into their application windows, then get an app like DockDoor to show window previews like Windows and most other operating systems.
- DockDoor also has a pretty basic Alt Tab-style window switcher which could be enough for some, but the dedicated āAltTabā application is a lifesaver with the right tweaks and setups for you. You can set multiple shortcuts to show different things like only app windows on that virtual desktop, windows from a certain app, non-minimized windows, and so on.
- You already said Rectangle, which I use as well. Just a general improvement over the built-in macOS window snapping (that only finally released in Sequoia or Sonoma).
- Supposedly apps like BetterTouchTool and Swish are āessentialsā for many, but for me, even across my sometimes-quintuple monitor setup, the things I recommended there are about all I really need. My advice? Donāt treat macOS like a tiling manager system. it likes to have virtual desktops and different full screen windows, so utilize those. Sure, supplement the OS with nice modifications from other Operating Systems if you like, but you donāt HAVE to use those. About the last program I use is just one called Dockey that wraps a GUI around a terminal command to make the dock animate faster so I can get more out of my screen, but thatās it. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am a power user, but I also do enough tech support that I try not to become too far removed from stock so that I can help others as well. More powerful window, tiling management apps and features definitely exist, and Iāve used a few here and there, but those are the ones that work for my use case.
womp womp
Try out Zen or Floorp.
Floorp has PWA support natively. Zen has 3, not sure on 4.
Donāt get me wrong, Iām totally open to forksā¦ if they have all of these. As things stand currently though, Iād have to use Zen OR Floorp to get the features I wanted, and thereās still not a solid Firefox app (original or fork) with the tab-swiping feature so Iād be using a different browser on mobile and desktop. Not IMPOSSIBLE, but less than ideal.
Iāve used Zen before and it came the closest to actually switching browsers since Arc, but as a tech support provider who frequently uses just about EVERY OS except Chrome OS and BSD, I need something reliable and available on everything (which excludes Arc) that also has the features I need for tab swiping and all on mobile (which excludes every Firefox forkā¦ so far.) Iām hopeful, though, that Mozilla will act on what they said here. https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/swipe-on-url-field-to-switch-tabs/idi-p/83548
