I came across a Tumblr post detailing how to disable AI “features” in Firefox as of 11/20/25 and I’m expecting an arms race of new/changed fields vs new strategies to disable them. So I wanted to ask, what would you recommend a lifelong Firefox user use, for PC and Android?

  • kittenroar@beehaw.org
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    18 hours ago

    I still use Firefox; their bullshit is less egregious than Chrome’s and they are Chrome’s only challenger. The ai features don’t even come in to play unless you actually choose to use them.

  • solomonschuler@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    Librewolf on desktop, ironfox on mobile.

    By default these applications come with no Firefox suggestions, no AI bullshit, and even turns on strict security. This is what I use personally because I don’t like to reconfigure the settings every time I install Firefox, this just works.

    • RivverRavven@beehaw.org
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      3 days ago

      Oh there’s no doubt he’s a really bad dude, but his browser is the most secure and best overall. I choose the browser.

      • chaoticnumber@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 days ago

        Best overall you say? Don’t post absolutes friend, the way the browser space is right now, none of them are the best overall. They each are better than others for their respective niche.

      • D1re_W0lf@piefed.world
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        2 days ago

        Secure?? 👀 If it was only him that was bad. From bypassing ad blockers with their own ads, to crypto scams, to privacy scandals, to… I just want distance from that thing.

    • MilliaStrange@beehaw.orgOP
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      3 days ago

      The fields:

      browser.ml.enable browser.ml.chat.enabled browser.ml.chat.menu browser.ml.chat.page browser.ml.chat.page.footerBadge browser.ml.chat.page.menuBadge browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled browser.ml.pageAssist.enabled browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled extensions.ml.enabled browser.search.visualSearch.featureGate

      • Otter@lemmy.ca
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        3 days ago

        If you add three back ticks (```) to the beginning and end of the list, it will format as a code block instead of a bunch of links

        browser.ml.enable
        browser.ml.chat.enabled
        browser.ml.chat.menu
        browser.ml.chat.page
        browser.ml.chat.page.footerBadge
        browser.ml.chat.page.menuBadge
        browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled
        browser.ml.pageAssist.enabled
        browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled
        browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled
        extensions.ml.enabled
        browser.search.visualSearch.featureGate
        
      • Ethereal@beehaw.org
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        3 days ago

        Interesting that I had a lot of these already set to False and I definitely haven’t gone through this process before. Maybe there was a prompt somewhere that I said no to?

        Appreciate the list though just to be extra sure!

        • scytale@piefed.zip
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          3 days ago

          Half of them were already False for me. I think I remember right clicking and seeing an AI option that I said no to. That probably disabled some of the features listed.

  • Not a newt@piefed.ca
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    3 days ago

    Librewolf (PC) or Fennec (Android) if you want to stay in the Firefox ecosystem. Vivaldi if you don’t mind A Chrome based browser.

    • cabbage@piefed.social
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      3 days ago

      A proprietary chrome based browser that is. But nevertheless one that seems to superior I’m considering seeking refuge there until Servo is ready.

      After a few months in LibreWolf I still don’t feel at home.

      • sem@piefed.blahaj.zone
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        3 days ago

        Someone really needs to make a general purpose fork of librewolf that turns on the features you need for compatibility and ease of use by default, and the regular librewolf can stay hardened.

      • stranger@lemdro.id
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        3 days ago

        I moved from Chrome to Firefox / Fennec to Vivaldi for Windows and Android, and after disabling a lot of the UI bloat I’ve honestly not had an issue with it. Synced tabs across devices, fast performance, and built in ad-blocking with option to add extensions.

      • morphite88@thelemmy.club
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        3 days ago

        IIRC the only portion of Vivaldi that isn’t open source is their UI code, for what that’s worth. Guess they want to keep an edge there? I’m Currently migrating my Android from Vivaldi to Brave; using xBrowserSync (bookmarks), Proton Pass (passwords), and KDE Connect to keep it synchronized to desktop (debian 13 using KDE Plasma) instead of Vivaldi’s sync. Kind of a pain after using a single service for some time but I don’t trust anyone anymore.

  • pasdechance@jlai.lu
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    3 days ago

    Stick with Firefox for now.

    Some FF forks like LibreWolf break sites because they are too strict. That isn’t a critique, that’s just how LibreWolf works and if your threat model requires it, go for it.

    You can toggle the flags or use a userjs like arkenfox or betterfox. Eventually they might also enable these flags.

    On Android I like Privacy Browser, but it takes getting used to (I like being logged out when I close the browser in case someone uses my phone).

    • azerial@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 days ago

      I just installed librewolf on my Linux laptop and you can customize how strict it is in the settings. There’s a librewolf setting group in the settings to adjust the fork customizations that they have made.

  • tyler@programming.dev
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    3 days ago

    Firefox. If you want them to all be disableable with a single toggle then make a pull request. FF is open source.

  • sculd@beehaw.org
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    2 days ago

    Vivaldi if you want Chromium browser Continue to use Firefox is probably the best choice for now

  • dangling_cat@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    3 days ago

    Zen browser! It’s a Firefox fork without all that crap and it’s soooo pretty! Like arc browser but ff based. It’s also not like florp which I feel like if I look it wrong it will break.

    • terrrmus@beehaw.org
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      2 days ago

      Been using Zen for about 6 months now. I like it a lot. It’s also come a long way. I dig the minimal vertical tab bar.