1973769 - Can no longer cold start Android Firefox in private browsing mode by default like desktop from the app drawer or dock

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Firefox for Android :: Homepage, defect, P3)

Description

[Kestrel]

STR:

1. Open Android Nightly 141.0a1.
2. Open a private tab.
3. Close app and swipe it away from recents.
4. Open Nightly from the app drawer with a single tap.

Expected:
App always starts in private tab like desktop with "Always use private browsing mode" enabled.

Actual:
App always starts in non-private tab.

Workarounds:

1. Tap private button on homepage every time app is started.
2. Use "New private tab" app context menu.
   Requires long-pressing app icon, extra tap to start app.
3. "Add private browsing shortcut" to home screen.
   Can only be accessed from the home screen, cannot use app drawer. User may not want shortcuts on home screen and prefer to use the app drawer which is searchable. Icon uses purple mask with only a small Firefox badge making it less recognizable.
4. Use Firefox Focus.
   Cannot use extensions, limited customization and no Nightly branch.

This change makes it significantly more cumbersome for users that always want to use private browsing. It is now only possible from the shortcut on the home screen which sacrifices icon recognition, app drawer accessibility and searchability. Users unwilling to make those sacrifices now have to manually switch to private tab every app launch.

Regression window:
https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/pushloghtml?fromchange=87e010ebac62c5bed9a41c64e63df5be347f65e6&tochange=b03555008151d6d19fca7e8986f4c206074e7a82

Regressed by Bug 1968048.

Comment 1

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco]]

:gl, since you are the author of the regressor, bug 1968048, could you take a look?

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 2

[Pascal Chevrel (relman team) -> :pascalc]

Gela, could you set a priority and severity to this bug? Thanks

Comment 3

[Kestrel]

Another workaround:
5. Add the search widget to the home screen and enable "Open links in a private tab" setting. This can be shrunk down to a single square where it shows the more recognizable Firefox logo (albeit at a reduced size) but of course this only works from the home screen and cannot be moved into the dock.

Workarounds #1 and #2 require a manual action that the user may forget and end up using a non-private tab by accident, resulting in leaks.

Comment 5

[Meredith]

Seeing this now in general release version, 141.0. Browser no longer restarts in private mode if left that way.

Pixel 8, Android 16

Comment 6

[pmu94kgoi]

I've also experienced the issue in release version 141 where Firefox no longer restarts in private browsing mode. This change has made it cumbersome for users who rely on private browsing as their default. The workarounds mentioned, such as manually switching to a private tab each time, are not ideal and can lead to accidental usage of non-private tabs. I would greatly appreciate it if the previous behavior could be restored. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Comment 7

[Meredith]

Every time there's a change like this I kinda brace myself for coming to bugzilla and finding "that's intentional, get over it" - I realize now that in bug 1968048 that intentional is essentially the case here.

This was seemingly changed to align with iOS and work around another issue, and I'm just an end user who got their workflow messed up overnight here, but honestly I considered the behavior on iOS a strange nuisance too; it was just a copy of Safari's behavior, on the platform where FF was forced to embed Safari's engine anyway, so I figured it was mandatory or aligning with the platform expectations. The platforms are different and I think it's okay to align with different user expectations on the two.

I've already slipped up because private-at-startup is gone, and it's only been a few hours. Adding the "private shortcut" and replacing my Firefox icon with that always starts a new tab on tap, rather than returning to the running app like the base app icon does. Staying in private with the choice to step out to normal has been hugely helpful for several years now as a better Focus with extensions, inbound bookmark sync, and outbound sent tabs.

Comment 8

[pmu94kgoi]

Yes, I don't understand how this could be intentional, especially given that this behaviour has been in place for many years. I also replaced the Firefox icon with the 'private shortcut', so opening a new instance of Firefox behaves the same as before. However, this doesn't cover all cases.

Comment 9

[08xjcec48]

Gabriel, it isn't clear why you've kept this bug open when it seems to be the new expected behavior, as per Bug 1968048.

Are you considering reverting this change?

Comment 10

[Pascal Chevrel (relman team) -> :pascalc]

I am not Gabriel :)

Comment 11

[Kestrel]

This bug is not about reverting Bug 1968048 but ensuring that users continue to have a way to start in private browsing by default like desktop without having to use a shortcut on the home screen.

Workaround #1 is obsolete now that the private toggle button has been removed from the homepage (Bug 1974066). New method requires going through the tabs tray which takes two extra taps or a long-press (Bug 1976279).

Comment 13

[Nigel]

On some Android devices there is NO ability to add the Private Browsing link from the desktop in Android

Comment 14

[Nigel]

As there is NO workaround to launch Firefox in Private Mode on Android surely the priority and severity should be increased

Comment 15

[CarlV]

If this is an intended feature, could we get optional setting to always start in private mode if we close the app in private mode?

Comment 19

[fgssam]

Can you please make an option to activate this mode for those who need it? Always start Firefox with a different tab open Thank you.

Comment 20

[ಚಿರಾಗ್ ನಟರಾಜ್]

Would just like to echo others that this fully messed up my workflow (I like using private browsing by default). I honestly don't care what the defaults are as long - just an option to toggle back to the old behavior would be good :)

Comment 23

[Kestrel]

(In reply to Nigel from comment #13)

On some Android devices there is NO ability to add the Private Browsing link from the desktop in Android

Note that you may need to grant an app permission to allow Home screen shortcuts on Xiaomi devices (Bug 1808892).

Comment 24

[Nigel]

(In reply to Kestrel from comment #23)

(In reply to Nigel from comment #13)

On some Android devices there is NO ability to add the Private Browsing link from the desktop in Android

Note that you may need to grant an app permission to allow Home screen shortcuts on Xiaomi devices (Bug 1808892).

Thanks, but on my device and it's launcher, it's not something that a user is able to do.

My workaround for the serious defect is to set a different colour wallpaper for the non private browsing, and as soon as Firefox launches then switch it to private browsing.

However given the serious defect, there is no workaround to launch a Web link from say an email and have it launch the link and Firefox in private mode because of this fault. I believe that this bug is at least a P2 with a s2 severity. With the current priority it could be over a year before the fault is fixed!

Comment 25

[Kestrel]

(In reply to Nigel from comment #24)

on my device and it's launcher, it's not something that a user is able to do.

What device/launcher specifically?

launch a Web link from say an email and have it launch the link and Firefox in private mode

This works for me with the "Open links in a private tab" setting enabled.

Comment 26

[Nigel]

(In reply to Kestrel from comment #25)

(In reply to Nigel from comment #24)

on my device and it's launcher, it's not something that a user is able to do.

What device/launcher specifically?

Its the FX Launcher by Droidlogic used on an Amlogic box - I possibly could create a link manually but its too much work to do. Having Firefox remember to launch in Private Mode was something that I relied on. To meet the "Apple" way is not an excuse to remove something.

launch a Web link from say an email and have it launch the link and Firefox in private mode

This works for me with the "Open links in a private tab" setting enabled.

Ah - didn't have this enabled on one of my devices - my bad

Comment 27

[Gabriel Luong [:gl] (ΦωΦ)]

Attachment: Bug 1973769 - Persist last known browsing mode on application restart

Revert changes from the following:

• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1968048
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1972361
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1973324

Comment 28

[Gabriel Luong [:gl] (ΦωΦ)]

Attachment: Bug 1973769 - Persist last known browsing mode on application restart

Revert changes from the following:

• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1968048
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1972361
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1973324

Original Revision: https://phabricator.services.mozilla.com/D260498

Comment 29

[Phabricator Automation]

firefox-beta Uplift Approval Request

• User impact if declined: Private browsing mode would not be persisted upon application restart for users. The prior changes was to always start on Normal Browsing mode on application restart, which affected user's experience where their private browsing mode was persisted upon application restart as long as they didn't leave it.
• Code covered by automated testing: yes
• Fix verified in Nightly: no
• Needs manual QE test: yes
• Steps to reproduce for manual QE testing: Ensure that the last known browsing mode is persisted upon application restart, switches and relaunch.
• Risk associated with taking this patch: Low
• Explanation of risk level: This is reverting changes that have been well covered by UI and unit tests. The logic changes to restore the last known browsing mode is a simple one line change.
• String changes made/needed: No
• Is Android affected?: no

Comment 30

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox/commit/9ee1ee066a19
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/21b9b3a2b857
Persist last known browsing mode on application restart r=android-reviewers,devota

Comment 31

[Serban Stanca [:SerbanS]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/21b9b3a2b857

Comment 32

[Dianna Smith [:diannaS]]

:gl beta patch needs rebasing

Comment 33

[Gabriel Luong [:gl] (ΦωΦ)]

(In reply to Dianna Smith [:diannaS] from comment #32)

:gl beta patch needs rebasing

Rebased

Comment 34

[Dianna Smith [:diannaS]]

Comment on attachment 9506075 [details]
Bug 1973769 - Persist last known browsing mode on application restart

We are already in Rc week and out of betas. I moved the request to release and will take it in the next dot release or in the case of a re-spin

Comment 35

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco]]

The patch landed in nightly and beta is affected.
:gl, is this bug important enough to require an uplift?

• If yes, please nominate the patch for beta approval.
  • See https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Requesting_an_Uplift for documentation on how to request an uplift.
• If no, please set status-firefox142 to wontfix.

For more information, please visit BugBot documentation.

Comment 36

[Mira Lobontiu (Android QA)]

This is partially fixed:

• when the user closes the app in private mode and re-opens it from the icon, the private mode persists;
• but when the user closes the app in private mode and reopens it through the widget, the normal mode is opened, not the private.

Tested on the Firefox for Android nightly 144.0a1 from 8/19 from Play Store, with a Pixel 6 (Android 16), and a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (Android 15).

@Gela, should I file a new bug for the widget?

Comment 37

[Gabriel Luong [:gl] (ΦωΦ)]

(In reply to Mira Lobontiu (Android QA) from comment #36)

This is partially fixed:

• but when the user closes the app in private mode and reopens it through the widget, the normal mode is opened, not the private.

@Gela, should I file a new bug for the widget?

Yes, let's file a bug for this. I am curious which widget you are referring to and could you test a 140 build to see if this use case that was the expected behaviour? I am trying to confirm whether or not this was regressed by Bug 1968048.

Comment 38

[Mira Lobontiu (Android QA)]

Attachment: trim.mp4

Gabriel, I filed Bug 1984686 for the widget issue.
Reproducible also on release 140.0.

Comment 39

[Kestrel]

This is the previous expected behavior, the search widget is an external intent, so it only opens private when "Open links in a private tab" is enabled in settings.

Comment 40

[Pulsebot]

https://github.com/mozilla-firefox/firefox/commit/ee9a670d5637
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-release/rev/411958127b06

Comment 41

[Adina Petridean QA [:apetridean]]

Attachment: Screenrecorder-2025-08-27-10-57-53-607.mov

Comment 42

[Adina Petridean QA [:apetridean]]

Verified as fixed on Fenix RC 142.0.1 with Poco M4 Pro (Android 12) and Samsung S24 Ultra (Android 15).