Mozilla has announced that Firefox users on Android will be able to install browser extensions directly from addons.mozilla.org (AMO) starting with Firefox 85 which is due for release on January 25. The company said that allowing users to install extensions directly from AMO will help smooth out the installation process of add-ons.
Until now, Firefox users on Android could only install add-ons that had been vetted directly from the browser’s Add-ons Manager; the firm will likely keep this installation method around. By allowing installation from AMO, users will be able to follow links to an extensions AMO page which friends may send them or that they read about online and easily install the extension from there.
The new installation buttons that add compatibility for Firefox on Android will be added to the AMO website on Thursday during a scheduled site update that the firm conducts at regular intervals. If you’re using a pre-release version of Firefox 85 or above, you will be able to use these installation buttons from Thursday.
Firefox’s refreshed Android browser was rolled out to users on the stable channel back in August last year but despite the complete overhaul of Firefox on Android, stats show that Firefox is still struggling on mobile. In July, when the final version of the old mobile Firefox was released, Firefox had 0.48% of the mobile market share. As of December 2020, it had only climbed to 0.51%.