Firefox Focus: The privacy browser for Android

Billed as the "privacy browser," Firefox Focus for Android is a secured version of Mozilla's popular browser with its Private Browsing function always on.

Pros

Really, really, really focused on privacy: Focus is a stripped-down version of the mobile version of Firefox, designed to keep your data secure and you private while you browse.

Blocks trackers: By default, the browser blocks ad trackers that can follow you across sites. It also automatically blocks analytic and social trackers that capture your browsing and social behaviors. You can also choose to have the browser not download web fonts for a page, which may speed up browsing but also may create odd-looking pages.

Pick your search engine: You can set your default search engine easily from the settings window. By default, Firefox uses Google, but you can switch to Bing, Amazon, or other search tools.

Add website shortcuts to your home screen: For easy access to websites, you can choose Add to Home screen from the settings menu.

Quickly erase your history: A notification dot on the app icon reminds you to erase your browsing history, including passwords.

Cons

It's not your full-featured Firefox: If you like finding a balance between convenience and security, this might not be the browser for you. Focus doesn't handle multiple tabs. (You can open a new one in the browser but can't have more than one open at a time.) You can't use Firefox extensions (although they are being considered). Focus doesn't sync with other Firefox browsers.

Bottom Line

Designed to keep you safe online, Firefox Focus steers clear of a lot of the niceties that you may expect in a browser but that may also put your data at risk. Instead, its focus is on giving you a secure window to the web.

• Removed some unnecessary logging from release builds.
• Updated geckoview engine.