Fenix: Consider removing "Quit" feature

[sblatz]

As @sarentz has mentioned, the quit feature isn't something that aligns with really any other mobile app. It will likely go against user expectations, and we should consider removing it.

[mikeGolf08]

The feature needs to stay cause it is pretty handy and not common on other browsers.

Is it possible to clear browsing data after closing the app via pressing home and clearing the multitasking view or after a time interval when app is in background?
I think it wasn't possible on older versions of Android because the app needed to be running to perform tasks.

[miladmaz12]

Wouldn't removing quit feature make the "Clear browsing data on quit" counterproductive and unusable?

[st3fan]

Wouldn't removing quit feature make the "Clear browsing data on quit" counterproductive and unusable?

Yes, but there could be more proper alternatives for that feature:

• (improvements to) private browsing
• launch in private mode (shipped!)
• "delete data after closing all tabs"
• maybe a Clear button like Focus has?

[nahuhh]

The issue that I see with the feature (compared to fennec)

• Fenix = quit button disappears when "delete browsing data on quit" is disabled
• Fennec = quit button is persistent.

In my opinion, the fennec implementation makes sense, while the fenix implementation is.. confusing?

I think the best course of action is follow fennec's implementation = the quit button needs to be persistent. As in fennec, with "delete browsing data on quit" disabled, the quit button should kill the browser without clearing any data.

[st3fan]

Not sure if that is true of Fennec .. it should only appear if the _clear data on exit_ (or similar named) is enabled.

[nahuhh]

I stand corrected..
I have Fennec mobile (not the tv version) installed on androidtv os. It displays in "tablet" mode, where tabs etc are visible at the top like the desktop firefox.

Seems in "tablet" mode, the quit menu is persistent.
On my phone "mobile", it is not.

[mikeGolf08]

A clear button would be acceptable but the feature itself has to remain implemented because some want to delete specific browsing data only while keeping other which is not possible by using Private Mode all the time!

[Queuecumber]

Right now in fennec if I swipe Firefox away using the recent apps it quits and if I have the option turned on, closes all my open tabs. In Fenix, if I swipe the app away, my tabs stay. This behavior should at least be consistent, e.g. fix Fenix so that it does a quit when swiped away in the recent apps menu.

I agree that the quit button is a little weird and uncommon. There are other established ways to quit Android apps, swiping away as I mentioned or using the back button.

[kbrosnan]

Swiping close the app does not return a unique signal to the app. To the App it looks like it has been killed in the background. To have the feature function in a consistent manner it requires some user action. Either something like Focus where there is a persistent notification or a button in the app is needed.

[Queuecumber]

Or you can have an option to let it remove the state when it's killed in the background for people who want that. Back button and swipe away are how you quit things on Android and you're breaking that flow as is. As I said it's also an unexpected change from current Firefox behavior.

[FenixRevival]

Any update on that request?

[ghost]

Please do not remove this feature! The quite button appears only when the "clear browsing data on quite s enabled", the button doens't even appear by default. It is such an useful feature why do you even wanna remove it?!

[XxAcielxX]

Or you can have an option to let it remove the state when it's killed in the background for people who want that. Back button and swipe away are how you quit things on Android and you're breaking that flow as is. As I said it's also an unexpected change from current Firefox behavior.

I also want this. Omg I hate hitting the Quit button to close my current session tabs.

It should be like Fennec, when you swipe away from Recent Apps Screen then all tabs should close. We have been used to this for so many years, now don't this with us please.

It's totally a privacy issue.

Edit 1
I'm not saying to remove the Quit Button, what I'm suggest is that:

1. People who like to keep their session saved should use 'Close tabs on using quit button' option
2. Those who like it old way, session should close when swipe close the browser. This should be the by default behaviour

[FenixRevival]

I fully agree with @XxAcielxX this going against the default behaviour of Android. This _shouldn't_ be the case.

My suggestion I did in another issues was to:

• if user check the option to clear tab while quitting: swiping should kill tabs
• if user didn't: swipe will do nothing (like today)

[jawz101]

I submitted the 14662 ticket. After reading the comments here, instead of this as a configuration of a Quit button, this could be "what gets wiped when you clear Firefox from the Android Recents screen"

I think this would fulfill all of the commenters' expectations since 2 places in Fennec had ways to forget opened tabs: The quit button configuration and under settings>advanced>restore tabs: don't restore tabs after quitting Firefox. The latter choice in Fennec didn't create a quit button. It was just a way to wipe out tabs when you swipe FFox away

[Queuecumber]

Could even be a "Use quit button" checkbox on that settings page that is checked by default to account for both use cases, I think it's really easy to make everyone happy here

[jawz101]

TBH, you could make that screen essentially be the equivalent of Firefox Focus/Klar, but allow some freedom to choose the types of content you want to disappear.

[gtg947h]

Or you can have an option to let it remove the state when it's killed in the background for people who want that. Back button and swipe away are how you quit things on Android and you're breaking that flow as is. As I said it's also an unexpected change from current Firefox behavior.

I also want this. Omg I hate hitting the Quit button to close my current session tabs.

It should be like Fennec, when you swipe away from Recent Apps Screen then all tabs should close. We have been used to this for so many years, now don't this with us please.

It's totally a privacy issue.

Edit 1
I'm not saying to remove the Quit Button, what I'm suggest is that:

1. People who like to keep their session saved should use 'Close tabs on using quit button' option

2. Those who like it old way, session should close when swipe close the browser. This should be the by default behaviour

THIS!

I hate persistent tabs/sessions with an unbridled, white-hot fury. I don't use it on desktop browsers and I can't stand it on mobile browsers. The only thing worse than having to specifically choose Quit is the iOS/Safari implementation of having to manually and individually close each tab before swiping away.

PLEASE bring back the old implementation where swiping away will clear the data if that option is selected. Or at least an option to do do that.

[martin-schoettler]

I have closed https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/15149 as the topic is a duplicate of the discussion here. You may find my reasoning at https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/15149#issue-703361075

[XxAcielxX]

Why hasn't the close tabs instantly when swiping the Fenix away implemented? You guys are doing everything to please the users who don't want to close their tabs.

This feels like a discrimination.

[ekager]

One option we could expose is adding a new option to auto close setting for "On Cold App Start" (or something different copy-wise) and just not restore tabs on startup if the user has selected that setting. cc @topotropic for UX feedback on that option

[iKnowLessThanYou]

I'm not using the stupid quit button. Get Firefox back to how it used to be, it's really frustrating there's always so many tabs open when I want the exact opposite.

Fix your shit Firefox.

[liuche]

A comment from @modb from #13227

there could be a simple checkbox whether to remember them or not. For the rest it needs to be persisted throughout a session. This could be done by having a persistent notification in case a user chooses to clear data on quit, like mentioned before. I think this would be less of a bother to people than having to quit the app through the menu.

[ekager]

See also https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/11449