Why the new sync is not available on iOS?
After the upgrade to v29, all sync settings are disappeared in desktop, and the only sign it ever existed is a single link on the options/sync settings tab. Following that link i got an article about the new sync setup, contains a section about how to keep the old sync. I do have all info synced on my iPhone, but the new sync doesn't support iOS. Now what? Switch to Chrome after long years of FF usage? Is the iOS will be supported for sync?
All Replies (15)
hello tcsinos, i'm not sure how you're currently syncing with your idevice, since this is not officially supported by mozilla and firefox won't run on it (there has been a sync client by mozilla a while back but it has been retired again long ago: http://blog.mozilla.org/services/2012.../retiring-firefox-home/).
Sorry, but Mozilla hasn't supported Sync on iOS for quite awhile now; the Firefox Home app is long gone. There is a bookmarks-on-the-go app at iTunes for iOS 5.0 and later, but it doesn't look like it has been updated yet for the new Sync version in Firefox 29. Once a Sync account has been updated for Fx 29 + later, the older version of Sync won't connect to that account any longer.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bookmarks-on-the-go/id550037184?mt=8
Hi, it's simple: i do have firefox home on my phone, and it's works, at least worked till today upgrade my desktop to v29. If you check this article article, it says old sync will work for a while. I was not aware about "retiring" the client from the app store, because I have it on my phone, why do i need to check is it still available for download?
The upgrade today broke this sync without any advance notice. It's been broken on the desktop and because the desktop upgrade not because the device/client app is not supported anymore.
Again: the new sync feature doesn't mean the old has to be stopped, the official article says. I didn't have problem with the old sync with FF Home, it worked just fine. The desktop upgrade today broke this sync.
This along with Mozilla's holier-than-thou "people before profits" attitude is driving me also in the direction of chrome. IMHO "people" and "profits" are not opposed to each other.
I guarantee you that the Mozilla Foundation's support must come from entities that actually do make a profit, and the only reason they do is because of serving their customers first and foremost.
It could be that Apple "makes too much profit" therefore they deserve to be avoided. This kind of thinking can only come from an entity that can conveniently detach itself from its end-users (customers).
As long as they have grants fueled by Mozilla's search for grants from for-profit companies, (grants = profits) there's no reason for them to worry too much about end-users.
Before any entity, be it a government entity, a charity, a foundation, etc. can get a single dime, some other entity that produces more than it consumes must give it to them. Oh, yeah, that difference between producing and consuming is what you call "PROFIT"
hello sdrga, i'm sure that mozilla would develop firefox for iOS if this was feasible. however, due to apple's restrictive policies it is unfortunately not possible to implement & offer independent third-party browsers for idevices.
mozilla is prohibited to bring the rendering & javascript engine of firefox onto iOS, since apple is only allowing the use of its own webkit in the terms & conditions for developers - as long as this is the case, firefox and its addon ecosystem cannot be ported to iOS devices.
I can easily see that, and I appreciate your well-thought-out answer and prompt reply. I have been involved in the software business most of my working life. Apple does try to maintain its own little world. That's why they have such a religious following.
But here's my question: is Google with Chrome finding themselves just as isolated from Apple? Believe me, I'm no Apple zealot. I'm just finding myself having to use iPhone and I can't make a career out of typing very strong passwords into some other device that I've established in FF.
As someone else in this thread mentioned, I've been a long-time Firefox user. As I'm sure you know, the hidden cost in any technology is the learning curve and it's amazing to me how often it is ignored. For that reason alone, I'll probably stick with FF.
I've been using FF with an addon to take care of passwords, which I hand-roll myself using notepad. What do you think of using Lastpass and xmarks to solve the issue with iphone?
chrome on iOS is basically just another skin for safari - since firefox has quite a different technical foundation i'm sure that firefox won't choose this path as long as the hurdles mentioned beforehand stay in place.
as for third-party solutions to sync your credentials across devices/platforms, i unfortunately can't give you any particular advice since i have no personal experience with them. maybe someone else reading along here can offer an opinion on them...
I don't know how Google handles "things" with respect to Chrome and iOS devices, but I have read that Google has no problem with licensing "things" and including licensed (paid for) code in their products.
On the other hand Mozilla is an open source project, and other than licensing for images / trademarks Mozilla is opposed to doing that for code than is part of Firefox.
google shared the same rendering engine webkit with apple's safari before they split off their own fork named "blink". on iOS they simply continue using webkit for chrome, which is the only option permitted by apple for a browser on idevices (and no route mozilla is likely to be willing to take).
I've spent a lot of time in the software business all the way back to 1974. Yeah, I'm 57, but here's the deal: There's real people with real iPhones that really like most things about Firefox.
They don't know what a webkit is or a skin (probably more accurate to call the Chrome browser a wrapper). They don't know about all of that. They don't pore over hex code, nor do they know anything about methods, properties, objects, interfaces, or events. Most don't want to.
They just have an issue and want to get a problem solved. That's all. My solution is coming along: I've added the Chrome browser, skin or not, to my iPhone. I'll probably use xMarks and Lastpass, both of which I have long experience with, to keep the Chrome synced with Firefox and maybe the iPhone as well. I'll probably look for Chrome replacements for my favorite FF Addons. Eventually, FF will cease to be my default browser. That's the road I see. Or... I could go the android route, but I'm not in a position to do that now.
It all has to do with learning curves. Software people are in a constant learning curve, but the real people out there just want to get into their sites and do what they need to do. They don't give a crap about interoperability, nor should they.
After searching Firefox support pages about Firefox bookmark synchronization with iOS devices I found this thread. I also found several articles in CNET and PCMAG about a new Apple iCloud control panel for Windows that synchronizes Firefox bookmarks with Safari on iOS devices.
After resisting Safari for iOS for several years due to too small fonts, I recently started using Safari instead of a variety of other browers (Chrome, Atomic Web, Opera ...) and have found Safari on iOS with iCloud sync turned on to be very satisfactory for vision accessible challenged folks like myself. I've now been using Safari on iOS with iCloud sync on my PC for several months now without issue. I continue to use Firefox exclusively on all my PCs.
To be sure, the iCloud Control Panel for Windows provides Firefox bookmark synchronization with iOS devices... for more info see: http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1455
It's great unless you happen to be a stubborn XP user like myself. I even found a program called Orca that could change one value supposedly in the msi file and it would install on xp Apple arbitrarily decided to not let it install on xp.
Just to stay accurate, the issue is iCloud and XP. They just won't work together without an addon like this. Apple is used to having its hardware and software go obsolete on a planned basis.
The addon itself looks pretty good. If you have XP, it may still be doable, Why can't Apple just let people to sync directly from the phone to the PC. Frankly, that irritates me more than a little. Glad it's working for you , though.
Modified
Re direct sync between iOS and Windows, that would only be feasible if all devices are "up" or running the same browser. In our case, the environment is 5 iOS devices, 6 Windows PCs, and 2 Macs synchronized using iCloud to sync across iOS, Windows, and Mac. None of the devices are powered up at the same time. With iCloud 3.1 for Windows the Firefox bookmarks stay in sync with IE and Safari bookmarks. On iOS, I do miss Firefox, I tried Chrome, and used Atomic for 2 years, but after using Safari on iOS 7 for the past 6 months, the accessibility features in Safari for vision challenged folks like myself are impressive, so I no longer see any value-added by other iOS browsers on iOS (agreed that is per Apple's plan). Regarding Apple iOS software going obsolete, that has not been my experience, I've had them same 130+ apps on all my iOS devices since iOS-4, they all continue to work on iOS-7.
This thread has wandered off-topic, so I am locking it.
Mozilla stopped supporting Firefox Sync on iOS devices awhile ago, and with the recent improvements to the Sync service any app that was created or adapted for the older version of Sync will need to be updated to work with newSync. Out of Mozilla' hands now and not a Firefox support issue.