Firefox Just One-Upped Chrome With This Small Change For Large Screens
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Firefox for Android now defaults to desktop mode on tablets
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Summary
- Firefox’s latest update made Desktop Mode the new default for all tablet users, no longer restricted by device specifications like in Chrome.
- The update is already rolling out to users through the Google Play Store.
- The update also introduces improvements like sharing downloaded files and categorizing bookmarks for easier access.
Mozilla Firefox is right up there among the best browser apps for Android, featuring an eclectic mix of features and the limitless potential that support for web extensions unlocks even on mobile devices. Google Chrome hasn’t yet figured that part out yet, and Firefox just continues getting better. The latest update for its Android app just introduced a new default mode for tablet users alongside several other improvements worth more than their sum total.
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Some of our favorite Android tablets ship with displays that can put most laptops to shame, and it’s not just with the size of the display. While that’s a joy for media consumption, it’s quite challenging to navigate most websites on these larger displays, since tablets or phablets are still classified as mobile devices, and content is optimized as such. Google Chrome addressed this in 2023 by defaulting to the integrated Desktop Mode on larger Android devices, but there was a major caveat — only devices Google deemed worthy got this feature. You need a tablet with at least 8GB of RAM and a 10-inch screen. Everyone else had to enable it manually, and repeatedly.
Mozilla might be a little late to the party, but Firefox version 138 just flipped the switch to Desktop Mode for all tablet devices as the new default, minus the gatekeeping. This new version is shipping to users already, through the Google Play Store. Thankfully, Firefox still gives users the option to change the new default behavior from the Site Settings page.
But that’s not all that has improved
v138 packs more
Besides the bevy of bug fixes in every version, Firefox developers have made other significant changes in the latest Android update. You might find it useful when the Downloads page now gives you options to share the downloaded file or its source URL directly. Moreover, listings on this page are now grouped chronologically, and you have access to category-based filters too. Finding something you downloaded hasn’t been simpler on Firefox.
Similar organization tricks are making their way to the Bookmarks page too, where you can now sort the bookmarks and even pin the folders in which they are categorized. Such arrangements may save you precious seconds accessing websites you revisit frequently. A full list of changes is available on the Mozilla website.
