Mozilla has released Firefox 157, an update that brings a redesigned experience to both desktop and mobile, as the company looks to make its browser more appealing to a broader audience.
According to the Firefox team, the redesign is part of an effort to expand the browser's user base beyond people who primarily choose Firefox because of privacy, the open web or its open-source foundations.
Mozilla wants more users to consider Firefox simply because they prefer the overall experience compared with Chrome, Edge and Safari.
Firefox chief Ajit Varma told Ars Technica that Mozilla is currently trying to improve design, performance and compatibility at the same time. One of the company's previous problems, he said, was slow decision-making, while over the past year and a half the goal has been to accelerate development, partly with the help of AI tools.
"People want to feel like they're in a modern browser, with things that match the design language of the operating system," Varma said, adding that compact mode is returning alongside additional customization options.
Firefox continues to rely on Mozilla's open-source Gecko engine, unlike most of its major competitors, which are based on Google's Chromium.
Varma said many users do not fully understand the differences between Chromium, Chrome, Gecko and Firefox. Because of that, Mozilla wants Firefox to become attractive to mainstream users as well, rather than primarily appealing to people who choose the browser because of its underlying values.
According to Varma, Firefox sees growth whenever users are given an opportunity to consciously choose their browser. One example is the browser choice screens introduced on mobile devices in Europe as part of the Digital Markets Act.
He also pointed to the end of Manifest V2 support in Chromium-based browsers as another opportunity for Firefox, which continues to support more powerful browser extensions.
Varma also discussed Mozilla's approach to AI features, emphasizing that Firefox wants users to remain in control.
Users can disable AI controls entirely, use only individual features such as translation, or choose more privacy-focused models. According to Varma, Mozilla currently dedicates less than 10 percent of its engineering resources to AI, while Gecko remains the company's biggest technical investment.
On iPhone, Varma identified the cost of maintaining different versions of Firefox as one of Mozilla's biggest challenges. In some markets, Apple allows alternative browser engines, while in others it does not.
Mozilla is therefore pushing for consistent global rules that would allow the company to develop and use Gecko on iOS worldwide.
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