Redesigned Firefox for iOS Claims Faster Load Times, Less Battery Drain - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Redesigned Firefox for iOS Claims Faster Load Times, Less Battery Drain

by

Firefox has released an update for its iOS browser that offers interface improvements and a faster browsing experience.

Firefox v5.0 promises faster web page loading times combined with significant battery savings, according to the browser's development team. Mozilla claims up to a 40 percent reduction in CPU usage and up to a 30 percent reduction in memory usage, although it notes results may vary between users.

Firefox iOS
Aside from speed improvements and power savings, the main interface has seen a number of new additions. Top of the list is a new menu on the toolbar that allows for easier navigation and quick access to frequently used features – from adding a bookmark to finding text in page.

Mozilla has also tried to make tab management a less frustrating experience on smaller screens, with the introduction of a 'Close All Tabs' option and an 'Undo' option to easily recover them, as well as a simpler method of navigating open tabs.

Users can also now set their favorite site as their homepage, which can be accessed at any time via the Home button in the new main menu.

Firefox iOS
In addition, users can now search sites with a search box (Amazon, for example) using a new magnifying glass button above the keyboard.

To add a website to the list of search engines accessed from the new tool, users simply need to go to the site in question and tap on the magnifying glass.

Firefox web browser is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

126 months ago
If Firefox can demonstrably compete with Safari on the desktop and on mobile in terms of speed and battery life, I would be willing to make the switch. Until then, however, the convenience of Safari on both OS X and iOS with iCloud integration and the addition of not having to create a separate user account for shared tabs, etc. - plus the battery life issue - means that Safari wins out in my books.
True for Mac-only users. However, for those of us who want or need to use other operating systems as well, Firefox continues to be a great browser. Its ability to sync across platforms with a Firefox account, huge extension ecosystem, and focus on privacy still make it my browser of choice.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glassed Silver Avatar
126 months ago
In addition, users can now search sites with a search box (Amazon, for example) using a new magnifying glass button above the keyboard.

To add a website to the list of search engines accessed from the new tool, users simply need to go to the site in question and tap on the magnifying glass.
That's freaking amazing.
That's precisely the technology you need to enable a feature I came up with the other day...
I'd love to have a search box to specifically search a couple of bookmarked websites I frequently use as research databases.

I know you can set up a custom Google search, but then you still get the Google search results page and that's often much less efficient than a website's search function.

I may find the name of a game mentioned somewhere for the domain xyz.com, but it's not an article about it.
So Google may yield results that aren't relevant when the website search is optimized for what people expect to get returned.

tl;dr:
I want a combined results page for a bunch of sites using site searches.
Someone make it happen!

Glassed Silver:mac
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
126 months ago
True for Mac-only users. However, for those of us who want or need to use other operating systems as well, Firefox continues to be a great browser. Its ability to sync across platforms with a Firefox account, huge extension ecosystem, and focus on privacy still make it my browser of choice.
I agree. Firefox is my go-to browser when I'm working on Windows (but I don't usually have to take advantage of cross-platform features when I'm on Windows so they don't affect me in the same way that they might affect others.)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djbuddha Avatar
126 months ago
I want to see if they can optimize Firefox to actually battle against Safari and Chrome on the desktop side.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...