Does anyone else have issues with private browsing in the newest (141.0.0) Fennec release? (startrek.website)

submitted 3 weeks ago by lazzerot@startrek.website to c/firefox@lemmy.ml

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Apologies if this isn't the right place to post this but I couldn't find a Fennec-specific community and I don't know what I'd have to look up to find something related to troubleshooting browsers.

My issue is this: I use Fennec exclusively in private browsing mode and ever since the new update I have to select the private tab manually every time I open the browser. I don't know if this was something I had enabled in the settings ages ago, if the browser was previously able to remember my selection but now isn't able to anymore for some reason OR if I accidentally changed my settings today while I was trying out a couple things.

Any response (even just telling me I'm stupid and that I obviously need to select XYZ in the settings) from other Fennec users would be appreciated :)

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[+] Carcel@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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[-] ook@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 weeks ago

The open links in private tab works fine still. However what OP means, and I can confirm that, you were able to setup Fennec to always start in private mode when you open it, without making a specific shortcut for it.

I just checked in Ironfox and there it still works like that. I could however not find a specific setting that does this.

So this makes me think, OP, what you and I were using was maybe never intended to work as expected but potentially a bug that got fixed. You can still open links automatically in private mode and you can add the extra shortcut for when you manually start the browser.

[-] lazzerot@startrek.website 1 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, that's exactly it, thank you!

I checked another device where I got Fennec installed and it still works just fine there since I don't have automatic updates enabled and it's still on 139.0.4. But by the looks of it it seems to be intentional and I think I vaguely remember either F-Droid or some other place even advertising Fennec with that feature.

I just installed Ironfox to check and I'm running into the same issue there. I'd also be fine with a browser that lets me enable closing all tabs and deleting all history and cache upon closing the browser, private mode was just an all in one solution for that.
Are those too specific demands for a browser for android? I thought these were very basic wishes a user might have...

[-] ook@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 weeks ago

It still does all of that though? The only thing that stopped working was that you use the standard app shortcut to start it in private mode. And for that you can make a separate shortcut.

It still works if you follow a link from another app that it opens that in private mode. It still works that the browser closes tabs automatically after a set time and that it clears history fully upon quiting.

I am not sure what you are now missing.

this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2025

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