Mozilla upgrades Firefox for iOS to version 8.0, adds QR code reader and night-reading mode

Mozilla has upgraded Firefox for iOS to version 8.0, with the latest edition of the mobile web browser altering the way it handles tabs, as well as introducing new features including a built-in QR code scanner and a Night Mode that makes Firefox more useful for late night browsing.

The new tab experience in Firefox version 8.0 makes it easier for users to see sites they have previously visited, with the opening of a new tab bringing up a list of recently viewed sites, as well as highlights from earlier browsing sessions. Unlike the other additions to the app, Mozilla advises the changes to tabs will be gradually rolled out to users over the next few weeks, instead of being immediately available to use.

Night Mode is meant for browsing while in a low-light environment, with it dimming the brightness of the screen to minimize eye strain and to make the web pages easier to read in the dark. The Night Model can be activated or turned off by tapping the moon symbol in the lower menu tray.

Billed by Mozilla as a way to reduce the number of apps installed on an iPhone, a QR Code Reader is built into Firefox, so users do not need to access a separate app if they wish to scan the two-dimentional barcodes.

To try and improve the user experience, Firefox will now provide recommendations on using various features of the browser, along with other time-saving hints. Mozilla is initially limiting this feature to users in the United States and Germany, but it is highly likely to spread to other countries in the future.

Lastly, it is now possible for users to automatically send web pages and tabs from iOS to other installations of the browser on mobile devices and desktops, using Firefox's synchronization functions.

Firefox is a free download in the App Store that requires 102 megabytes of storage and iOS 9.0 to run, and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

6 Comments

netling 77 comments · 21 Years

About 7 years ago

QR codes are DEAD... Until Apple integrates it DIRECTLY into the camera, 90% of people are NOT going to the trouble of;

1) Unlock Phone
2a) Hunt down that one app on the App Store, download the app.
2b) Find that App that they downloaded that one time, it's somewhere on the 5 pages of Apps that I have, well maybe in a folder, which folder... what was the name of it again.
3) Open QR code app
4) Find correct position of camera, hold camera still
5) Take photo with Click Noise
5b) Re-take photo because it was blurry, wasn't read, etc.
6) All while standing in the bathroom or at a urinal (Ah, Awkward!!!), standing in line (holding up said line), while driving past a billboard (YES, I have actually seen that!)
7) Give permissions to open additional App.
8) Focus on said information.

While it's great that Firefox incorporated this, I do believe that QR codes should be used in industrial means, maybe for businesses but not mass consumers.

Other then that, Firefox is a great browser and glad to see them continually develop it.

Hackman 1 comment · 7 Years

About 7 years ago

netling said:

QR codes are DEAD... Until Apple integrates it DIRECTLY into the camera, 90% of people are NOT going to the trouble of;

1) Unlock Phone
2a) Hunt down that one app on the App Store, download the app.
2b) Find that App that they downloaded that one time, it's somewhere on the 5 pages of Apps that I have, well maybe in a folder, which folder... what was the name of it again.
3) Open QR code app
4) Find correct position of camera, hold camera still
5) Take photo with Click Noise
5b) Re-take photo because it was blurry, wasn't read, etc.
6) All while standing in the bathroom or at a urinal (Ah, Awkward!!!), standing in line (holding up said line), while driving past a billboard (YES, I have actually seen that!)
7) Give permissions to open additional App.
8) Focus on said information.

While it's great that Firefox incorporated this, I do believe that QR codes should be used in industrial means, maybe for businesses but not mass consumers.

Other then that, Firefox is a great browser and glad to see them continually develop it.

Apple is adding QR code scanning to iOS 11. Bit late if you ask me.

foggyhill 4767 comments · 10 Years

About 7 years ago

Hackman said:

netling said:

QR codes are DEAD... Until Apple integrates it DIRECTLY into the camera, 90% of people are NOT going to the trouble of;

1) Unlock Phone
2a) Hunt down that one app on the App Store, download the app.
2b) Find that App that they downloaded that one time, it's somewhere on the 5 pages of Apps that I have, well maybe in a folder, which folder... what was the name of it again.
3) Open QR code app
4) Find correct position of camera, hold camera still
5) Take photo with Click Noise
5b) Re-take photo because it was blurry, wasn't read, etc.
6) All while standing in the bathroom or at a urinal (Ah, Awkward!!!), standing in line (holding up said line), while driving past a billboard (YES, I have actually seen that!)
7) Give permissions to open additional App.
8) Focus on said information.

While it's great that Firefox incorporated this, I do believe that QR codes should be used in industrial means, maybe for businesses but not mass consumers.

Other then that, Firefox is a great browser and glad to see them continually develop it.

Apple is adding QR code scanning to iOS 11. Bit late if you ask me.

Its not late if you are talking about industrial use (though a lot use RFID too),. but bar codes / qr codes are easier to produce fast and slap on.

In AR, QR codes on on object could in theory help in accessing the object's data quicker (locally even for a certain list of objects).