Firefox will look a little different the next time you launch it — more bubbly, with some new pops of color. The browser’s latest update brings a design overhaul to all desktop and mobile users, aimed at modernizing Firefox with bubble-like tabs, a rounded address bar, and refreshed colors, icons, and themes. The desktop and mobile versions of the browser will also now share the same design language. According to Mozilla, the design changes will have “no cost to your browser performance.”
Mozilla says the overhauled design is a “renewal” for Firefox, following major updates over the last year, like homepage widgets, Split View, a built-in VPN, and controls for disabling the browser’s AI features. Firefox isn’t avoiding AI, though — it also launched its Smart Window AI mode earlier this year, which could help it compete with rivals’ AI browser features, like those in Chrome. With its rounded UI elements, Firefox now visually resembles Chrome a bit more, too.
The design revamp also introduces more customization options, including more themes and wallpapers to choose from. Mozilla shared a peek at some of the updated theme options in May, including a dozen different colors to choose from, each with a light and dark mode. Along with the design overhaul, Firefox 157 brings the return of an old feature: Compact Mode, back after user requests. This condensed version of Firefox “reduces the size of your tabs and toolbar to give more of your screen to the web, with an auto-compact option for smaller screens.”
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