Mozilla Details New Features Coming in Firefox 149, 150, and Beyond

Mozilla is ramping up the improvements to its Firefox web browser, and the AI kill switch it recently introduced in Firefox 148 is only the start. It also plans some major new feature additions in the next two versions of the browser.

“Firefox is proving that browser innovation doesn’t have to mean ‘forced AI’,” a Mozilla representative told me. “By leveraging an open feedback loop, we are shipping features that match real-world preferences, giving users the tools they want without imposing the ones they don’t.”

On March 24, Mozilla will deliver Firefox 149, and that release will include:

• A free built-in VPN with 50 GB per month of usage the U.S., France, Germany and U.K. to start.
• A Split View feature that lets you see two webpages side-by-side.
• A Tab Notes feature in Firefox Labs so you can add notes to any tab you’re viewing.

Following that, Mozilla is planning a Smart Windows feature for Firefox 150. Previously called AI Window, this optional, add-in feature gives you quick definitions, article summaries, product comparisons and other quick help while you browse and without leaving the page.

And Mozilla says there’s more on the way.

“The roadmap for Firefox this year is the most exciting one we’ve developed in quite a while,” head of Firefox Ajit Varma says. “We’re solely focused on building the best browser, and our features over the next few months and beyond are driven by the feedback from our community.”

Among the changes coming later this year are fundamental speed and performance improvements, new open standards in the Gecko rendering engine, and features that the organization says will give users real power, choice, and strong privacy protections. It is also working to refresh the Firefox user interface with a new look and feel, new themes, and new icons. This is all in addition to its recently-unveiled mascot, Kit and the partnership with Anthropic that led to sweeping bug fixes across the product.