Up to some shady business or just concerned about being tracked on the Web? If you use an iPhone or iPad, Mozilla has a new solution.
The browser maker's Firefox Focus is now available as a free, private browser for iOS devices that lets you surf the Web "like no one's watching." It will automatically block ads and many of the trackers that would normally follow you around the Web, including analytics and those embedded on social networks, videos, photo slideshows, and news articles.
When you're done surfing, erase your browsing history with a single tap.
"For the times when you don't want to leave a record on your phone. You may be looking for information that in certain situations is sensitive — searches for engagement rings, flights to Las Vegas or expensive cigars, for example. And sometimes you just want a super simple, super-fast Web experience — no tabs, no menus, no pop-ups," Mozilla wrote in a blog post. "Firefox Focus gives you just that."
As an added benefit, you may notice a performance boost on certain sites since Focus blocks tracking technology, which can make mobile Web pages slow. Occasionally, however, you may encounter a site that doesn't work because it's dependent on tracking. In this case, Focus will let you open the site in either Firefox or Safari.
Focus first emerged in December 2015 as a free content blocker for Safari users on iOS 9. Mozilla said Firefox Focus "continues to operate as a Safari content blocker on iOS, and users will be able to take advantage of Tracking Protection on both Safari and Firefox Focus."
To activate it for Safari, navigate to Settings > Safari > Content Blockers > toggle Firefox Focus to on. Then in the Focus app, hit the settings/gear icon on the top right and toggle Safari to on.
