Will Firefox for Apple iOS get extensions soon?

Like every browser for Apple iOS, Firefox for iOS also uses the Webkit browser engine — because Apple doesn’t allow any other browser engine. This will change soon. This also paves the way for Firefox add-ons on iOS.

Browser manufacturers are severely restricted when it comes to developing their own browsers for iPhone and iPad. Apple’s imposition of the Webkit engine means developers can’t offer improvements to the same extent as they can for Android.

As I was the first to report globally eleven months ago, Mozilla is working on Firefox using its Gecko engine for Apple iOS. This has been made possible through the so-called Digital Markets Law European Union. The new regulation aims to reduce restrictions imposed on competitors by so-called “gatekeepers” in the digital sector, thus creating fairer competition. It is also every digital markets law that forces Microsoft to respect the user-defined default browser in Windows in the future. Affected businesses have until the beginning of March 2024 to meet the requirements.

Although the Gecko-based Firefox for iOS browser has not been officially announced, Certain A recent comment from a developer on the Android team once again said that Gecko will be coming to iOS. But what’s really interesting about the comment is the context in which the statement was made. This relates to part of the internal handling of extension permissions and that this functionality is currently duplicated for desktop and Android – and Gecko will be added to iOS – which is why this part will likely be handled at the Gecko level, so that not every app has to implement the same. This indicates that Mozilla is also planning to offer extensions for Firefox for iOS with the new engine.

There are no details known yet about the launch of Firefox with Gecko Engine for iOS. It’s unlikely that Apple will drop the restrictions too soon, which is why you shouldn’t expect it before March 2024. It’s also not said that the first version of Gecko Firefox for iOS will support extensions. This feature may also come later.

Mozilla is currently expanding Firefox for Android, which already supports 22 official extensions, into an open ecosystem of browser extensions. Starting December this year, users will be able to choose from hundreds of add-ons. Firefox for Windows, macOS, and Linux users now have access to more than 34,000 extensions.