1536866 - Remove Guest session from the menu

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Firefox for Android Graveyard :: General, defect, P1)

Description

[Vlad Baicu]

Due to a rising number of bugs concerning Guest mode, during the triage meeting Andreas and Stefan decided that for now the best course of action would be to remove the option from the menu.

Comment 1

[Kevin Brosnan [Ex-Mozilla]]

Are we going to end any active guest sessions? The user would have no way to get out of an active guest session.

Comment 2

[Vlad Baicu]

Since we can check if we have any active guest sessions (https://dxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/mobile/android/geckoview/src/main/java/org/mozilla/gecko/GeckoProfile.java#431), I was thinking of keeping the exit guest session option and remove only the enter one.

Comment 3

[Vlad Baicu]

Attachment: Bug 1536866 - Hide enter guest session option from the menu. r=petru

Comment 4

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/681a61e11e60
Hide enter guest session option from the menu. r=petru

Comment 5

[Stefan Hindli [:stefan_hindli]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/681a61e11e60

Comment 6

[Stefan Deiac]

Verified as fixed on the latest version of Firefox Nightly 68.0a1 (2019-03-24) using Nexus 9 (Android 7.1.1) and OnePlus 5T (Android 9), thanks.

Comment 7

[Petru-Mugurel Lingurar [:petru]]

Comment on attachment 9052308 [details]
Bug 1536866 - Hide enter guest session option from the menu. r=petru

Beta/Release Uplift Approval Request

• Feature/Bug causing the regression: None
• User impact if declined: Little used feature for which there are still unresolved tickets - https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=guest%20mode&list_id=14630746
  One of those tickets refers to the new Search Widget - bug 1533634 which is already in beta 67.
• Is this code covered by automated tests?: No
• Has the fix been verified in Nightly?: Yes
• Needs manual test from QE?: Yes
• If yes, steps to reproduce: Open the options menu, Tools -> New Guest Session
• List of other uplifts needed: None
• Risk to taking this patch: Low
• Why is the change risky/not risky? (and alternatives if risky): Feature is disabled by modifying a single flag with no other deep changes in code, patch already verified in Nightly.
• String changes made/needed:

Comment 8

[Pascal Chevrel:pascalc]

Comment on attachment 9052308 [details]
Bug 1536866 - Hide enter guest session option from the menu. r=petru

Disabling of the Guest Mode feature on Android due to lack of use and long standing issues. The patch is minilal and was verified by QA in Nightly so Uplift approved for 67 beta.

Petru, since we are removing an existing feature, we should have a release note added informing users of this change in the "Changed" section, thanks!

https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Release_Notes#How_to_nominate_a_bug_for_release_notes_addition.3F

Comment 9

[Petru-Mugurel Lingurar [:petru]]

Release Note Request (optional, but appreciated)
[Why is this notable]: Removing an existing feature
[Affects Firefox for Android]: Yes
[Suggested wording]: The Guest Session feature was removed to streamline user experience
[Links (documentation, blog post, etc)]: --

Comment 10

[Andreea Pavel [:apavel]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/affaab9df5b7

Comment 12

[Levente Sacal]

Verified as fixed on Beta 67.0b7 build 1 on Samsung S6 (Android 6.0.1) and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (Android 8.1.0).

Comment 13

[Pascal Chevrel:pascalc]

Added to release notes with beta 7

Comment 14

[Kevin Brosnan [Ex-Mozilla]]

We should mention that as a replacement users should use Firefox's private tabs or the Android OS guest user in the Android settings.

Roland some of the Firefox for Android SUMO documentation will need to be updated. Please pass this along to the right people at SUMO.

Comment 15

[Roland Tanglao needinfo please :rolandtanglao, :mohnkuchen, :adobo, :sinigang, :roland]

hi joni: this affects https://support.mozilla.org/kb/share-your-android-device-firefox-guest-session and possibly more. please update the article

Comment 16

[Joni Chan]

This is the only article that mentions guest sessions. I've added a note that the feature is being removed and advised that they use private browsing or guest user mode instead: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/share-your-android-device-firefox-guest-session

Comment 17

[Pascal Chevrel:pascalc]

Release note updated with this wording:

The Guest Session feature has been removed to streamline user experience. Please use Private Browsing on Firefox for Android to keep your sessions separate or your device's guest mode feature.